Workplace Harassment Complaint in Alberta: What Should an Employer Do Next?

For many employers, the moment a harassment complaint lands on your desk is the moment your policy meets the reality of your workplace.

It is an uncomfortable position to be in, but how you respond in the first 24 hours can shape what happens next. A calm, structured response protects the people involved, protects the integrity of the process, and protects the organization.

The following steps reflect workplace harassment requirements and practices for employers in Alberta.

Here is what we recommend clients do next.

1. Acknowledge the Complaint

Whether it arrives verbally, by email, or through a formal reporting channel, the person who raised it should hear back promptly that it has been received and is being taken seriously.

Silence, even for a few days, can feel like dismissal and often makes an already difficult situation worse for everyone involved.

2. Review Your Policy and Obligations

In Alberta, violence and harassment are recognized as workplace hazards. Employers are required to develop and implement a workplace violence and harassment prevention plan that includes procedures for reporting and investigating complaints or incidents.

Early in the process, pull out your policy and confirm the required procedure, including who is responsible for investigating and what confidentiality looks like in practice.

If your policies or procedures are outdated, incomplete or unclear, BVS can help with Safety Program Development, including reviewing existing policies, developing procedures and addressing violence and harassment requirements.

Following your own documented process is one of the clearest ways to demonstrate due diligence if the matter is ever reviewed externally.

3. Consider Interim Measures

Assess whether the parties need to be separated while the investigation proceeds.

These types of steps are not a judgment of guilt. They are a reasonable precaution while facts are gathered. Frame them to everyone involved as a temporary measure while the matter is investigated rather than as discipline.

4. Choose Who Will Investigate

This is one of the most consequential decisions an employer makes.

The investigator needs to be free of conflict of interest, and in a small or close-knit workplace, that often means bringing in an independent third party rather than relying on an internal manager who works closely with either person.

Bow Valley Safety provides independent investigation support for organizations that may not have the appropriate internal resources or where an impartial third party is needed.

An investigation that looks impartial protects the outcome as much as one that is impartial.

5. Keep the Process Procedurally Fair

Both the complainant and the respondent should have a genuine opportunity to share their perspective, respond to what has been alleged, and be heard before any conclusions are drawn.

Document each step, including who was interviewed, when, and what evidence was reviewed, as you go rather than reconstructing it later.

Thorough notes are your best asset if the decision is ever questioned.

6. Communicate Outcomes Appropriately

Once the investigation is complete, communicate the results and any corrective action to the parties as required by your policy and applicable legislation.

Any corrective action should be proportionate to the findings and applied consistently with how similar situations have been handled in the past.

7. Look Beyond the Individual Complaint

A single complaint is often useful information about the broader workplace, not just the two people named in it.

Once the immediate matter is resolved, it is worth asking whether training, supervision, communication or your existing safety procedures need attention so the same dynamic does not resurface.

For organizations that need ongoing help keeping policies, procedures and safety responsibilities current, BVS also provides Safety Program Management and fractional safety leadership.

Handled well, a harassment complaint does not have to become a crisis. It is an opportunity to show your workforce that your policies function as intended and that people who raise concerns will be met with a fair, respectful process.

If your organization does not have a clear complaint-handling procedure in place, or if you are facing a live situation and need experienced outside support, Bow Valley Safety can help with safety program development, independent investigations and ongoing safety program management.