Quick Summary

Bronson supported the University of Manitoba’s Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs in operationalizing its Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy and Sexual Assault Policy.

The engagement redesigned the institution’s formal complaints management process and developed a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document and supporting toolkit.

Bronson led executive-level meetings with Vice Presidents and Directors to align senior leadership on revised roles and responsibilities under the new process.

In a parallel policy stream, Bronson contributed to Guidelines for Intimate Relationships and developed a standardized report format and guidance for investigators.

A proposal for a Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre was developed, drawing on benchmarking and lessons learned from comparable centres at other U15 institutions.

Project Overview

The University of Manitoba’s Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs is responsible for implementing two of the institution’s most sensitive policies: the Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy and the Sexual Assault Policy. As these policies were operationalized, the university identified significant gaps in how formal complaints were managed across the institution.

Roles and responsibilities were unclear. There were no structured Standard Operating Procedures. Toolkits to support consistent implementation across the university did not exist. The result was a complaints management system that was difficult to apply consistently, hard to explain to senior leadership, and vulnerable to gaps in execution.

The university required expert external support to redesign the formal complaints process, develop the documentation needed to operationalize it, and build awareness and alignment among senior leadership. Bronson was engaged to provide that comprehensive process improvement and policy support, working directly with the Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs and engaging senior university stakeholders throughout the engagement.

The Challenge

Operationalizing sensitive institutional policies across a large academic environment is a complex undertaking. The work touches policy, process, governance, and culture at the same time, and each layer has to advance together.

The main challenges Bronson tackled:

  • Unclear roles and responsibilities. The formal complaints process under the Respectful Work and Learning Environment and Sexual Assault policies lacked clearly defined accountabilities at each step.
  • Absence of structured procedures. No Standard Operating Procedures existed to support consistent, structured implementation of the policies across the institution.
  • Limited toolkits for staff. Front-line and administrative staff did not have the structured toolkits needed to apply the policies consistently in practice.
  • Senior leadership alignment. Process and policy changes of this nature require active engagement from Vice Presidents and Directors. Documentation alone is not sufficient without leadership buy-in to revised roles.
  • Sensitive subject matter. The policies cover respectful workplace conduct, sexual violence, and intimate relationships involving power differentials. The work required careful, evidence-based design and an awareness of the sector’s evolving standards.
  • Sector benchmarking expectations. A proposal for a Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre had to be credible against the documented experience of other U15 institutions.

The University of Manitoba needed a strengthened complaints management system supported by clear procedures, well-defined roles, trained investigators, and a policy framework consistent with best practices at peer institutions.

Our Solution

Bronson designed a two-stream engagement that addressed process improvement and policy development in parallel, with each stream reinforcing the other. The work was organized into the following streams:

  1. Formal Complaints Process Redesign – Bronson revised the institution’s approach to managing formal complaints under the Respectful Work and Learning Environment and Sexual Assault policies. The redesign clarified roles, sequenced steps, and established a consistent structure for handling complaints across the institution.
  2. Standard Operating Procedures and Toolkit – Bronson developed a documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) document and a supporting Toolkit to operationalize the revised complaints process. The SOP and Toolkit gave the Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs the structured tools needed to support consistent, defensible implementation.
  3. Executive Engagement and Alignment – Bronson led meetings with the University’s executive team, including Vice Presidents and Directors, to outline the revised roles and responsibilities under the new process. The sessions built the senior-level alignment needed for effective implementation and ensured leadership ownership of the new model.
  4. Sector Knowledge Sharing – Bronson presented the SOP project at the Western Canadian Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Procedures Forum, contributing to sector-wide knowledge sharing on best practices in complaints management and reinforcing the credibility of the University of Manitoba’s revised approach.
  5. Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre Proposal – Bronson developed a proposal for a Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre, benchmarked against comparable centres at other U15 institutions and drawing on documented lessons learned. A detailed compendium of all sexual violence-related initiatives on campus was also compiled to support institutional planning.
  6. Policy Development Support – In parallel with the process work, Bronson contributed to the development of Guidelines for Intimate Relationships, covering both student-instructor and employee relationships with power differentials. Bronson also developed a standardized report format and accompanying guidance for investigators involved in the formal complaints process.

Key Deliverables

Revised Formal Complaints Process – A redesigned end-to-end complaints management process for the Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy and Sexual Assault Policy, with clarified roles and sequenced steps across the institution.

 

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Document – A documented SOP operationalizing the revised complaints process, providing structured guidance for the Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs and partner units across the university.

 

Complaints Management Toolkit – A supporting toolkit aligned to the SOP, equipping staff with the resources needed to apply the policies consistently in practice.
Executive Briefing Sessions – Facilitated meetings with Vice Presidents and Directors to align senior leadership on revised roles and responsibilities under the new complaints management process.

 

Western Canadian Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Procedures Forum Presentation – A presentation of the SOP project to peer institutions, contributing to sector-wide knowledge sharing on best practices.

 

Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre Proposal – A documented proposal for a Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre, benchmarked against comparable centres at other U15 institutions.

 

Compendium of Campus Sexual Violence Initiatives – A detailed compendium of all sexual violence-related initiatives on the University of Manitoba campus, supporting institutional planning and coordination.

 

Guidelines for Intimate Relationships – Contributions to documented guidelines covering student-instructor and employee relationships involving power differentials, integrated into the university’s policy suite.

 

Standardized Investigator Report Format and Guidance – A standardized report format with accompanying guidance for investigators involved in the formal complaints process, supporting consistency, defensibility, and quality across investigations.

 

The Impact

The cumulative outcome was a substantially strengthened complaints management system at the University of Manitoba, supported by clear procedures, well-defined roles, trained investigators, and a policy framework consistent with best practices at peer institutions.

Specifically, the engagement delivered:

  • A redesigned formal complaints process operationalized through a documented SOP and supporting toolkit.
  • Senior leadership alignment on revised roles and responsibilities, achieved through facilitated executive engagement.
  • A strengthened policy framework, including Guidelines for Intimate Relationships and a standardized investigator report format integrated into the university’s policy suite.
  • A credible, peer-benchmarked proposal for a Campus Sexual Assault Resource Centre, supported by a compendium of campus sexual violence initiatives.
  • Sector contribution and credibility through participation in the Western Canadian Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Procedures Forum.

The result is a complaints management system the Office of Fair Practices and Legal Affairs can apply consistently across the institution, anchored in clear procedures, executive alignment, and policy guidance grounded in U15-aligned best practices.

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