Everyone heading to work on Friday in B.C. will have to be on their best behaviour as the province’s new anti-bullying rules come into effect.

WorkSafeBC’s new occupation health and safety policies define workplace bullying and harassment and explain the duties of employers, supervisors and workers.

But the agency dedicated to protecting the safety of about 2.2 million workers in British Columbia is not going to bully the province’s employers into implementing new rules that deal with workplace harassment, says a senior executive.

Instead of taking a “heavy-handed approach” to enforcement, WorkSafeBC will consult with employers to ensure they follow changes to the Workers Compensation Act that take effect Friday, said Al Johnson, vice-president of prevention services.

The new occupational health and safety policies, which were approved by the agency’s board in March, define workplace bullying and harassment and explain the duties of employers, supervisors and workers.

“Out of the gate here, we recognize that the level of understanding, if you will, or maybe sophistication around bullying and harassment, people need to get their heads around it and understand it and have some time to put their programs into place,” said Johnson.