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Regardless of the nature of your situation, you have agency and choice. If the options still feel limiting, or if you’re still unsure about who to reach out to for support, we’ve curated a more comprehensive list of resources (including those previously outlined) that will hopefully provide a greater landscape of options for a safe(r) space for you to share your experience and/or seek help if you need it. Please know that you’re not limited to support at the University of Waterloo.

Supports and resources

University of Waterloo supports

Off-campus supports

Accommodations

The OHRC outlines the legal duty employers have to accommodate the needs of people who are negatively impacted by work requirements, rules or standards due to their membership in a protected group to the point of undue hardship. Employment should be designed inclusively and must be adapted to accommodate the needs of members of protected groups in a way that promotes integration and full participation.

  • Accommodation: an adaptation or adjustment made to provide members of a protected group with equitable and non-discriminatory opportunities for participation.

  • Duty to accommodate: the legal duty employers must accommodate the needs of people negatively impacted by requirements, rules or standards at work due to their membership in a protected group.

  • Undue hardship: reasoning given by an employer as to why they may be unable to accommodate a member of a protected group – employers must provide proof of undue hardship (e.g., the accommodation would pose a health and safety risk to others).

  • Bona fide occupational requirement: essential to performing the duties of a particular position; if an employer can demonstrate this requirement, there is no duty to accommodate (e.g., vision standards for a truck driver).

Examples of accommodations at work include, but are not limited to:

  • Offering screen readers or other assistive technologies to an employee with a visual impairment.

  • Allowing flexible working hours and/or breaks to allow an Indigenous employee to attend a spiritual ceremony.

  • Ensuring that washroom facilities are inclusive and supportive of employees of all gender identities.

OHRC policies and discrimination

During the employment process

You have the right to request accommodations at any stage of the employment process, including:

  • Job applications

  • Recruitment activities

  • Training and onboarding

  • Transfers and promotions

  • Apprenticeship terms

  • Dismissal and layoffs

  • Pay, hours of work, overtime, shift work, holidays and benefits

  • Discipline and performance evaluations

Who do I share my accommodation needs with at work?

You can choose to share your accommodation needs at work. If you do, it’s important that you identify who you must share with to access accommodations. Most workplaces are proactive in communicating their accommodations process, including who to contact. Depending on the size of the organization you’re working for and your reporting structure, who you share accommodation needs with can vary.

If you’re unsure who to contact, you can consider any of the following people:

  • Human Resources (HR)

  • Your supervisor/manager

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counsellor

References and additional workplace safety and rights resources

Government of Canada

Government of Ontario

Non-government

Psychological safety

  • Harvard Business Review – What is psychological safety? https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety

  • Book: Clark, T. R. (2020). The 4 stages of psychological safety. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

  • Book: Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the workplace for learning, Innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Microaggressions, harassment, and discrimination

Legal support

University of Waterloo

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