Workplace harassment on the rise
Two recent studies, one in Ottawa and the other in Quebec, show that workplace harassment is increasing in Canada in both the public and private sectors, by a comparable degree.
28% of federal public servants say that they have been the victims of various forms of harassment over the past two years, according to a comprehensive survey conducted in Ottawa by the government.
According to the survey, bosses or colleagues usually inflict this harassment, whether physical or psychological. Persons with disabilities (49%), aboriginal people (42%), visible minorities (33%) and women (31%) who work for the government report higher rates of harassment.
Harassment leads to long-term absences because the work environment becomes unbearable for the person experiencing it, and since the person is unable to work productively in any case, the situation ends up being costly for the employer.
In 2001, the federal government instituted a policy to prevent and resolve cases of harassment, along with mechanisms to help victimized employees. However, to the unions, survey results prove that these methods are not working.
31% of Quebec workers have witnessed or been victims of harassment
Another city, another poll, but results that are just as worrisome. According to a CROP poll conducted in April on behalf of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (CRHA), 31% of Quebec workers said they had either witnessed or been the victims of psychological harassment in their workplace. The Ordre considers this a cause for concern, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the addition of provisions against psychological harassment in the Act respecting labour standards. While the findings do not prove that psychological harassment as defined in the act was necessarily involved, they do reveal the existence of tensions in the workplace.
Workers are fairly familiar with the provisions against psychological harassment, since 81% of respondents were aware that there exists such protection for Quebec workers. The survey also reveals, however, that women are more hesitant than men about using recourse mechanisms if they have been victims of harassment, with one woman out of four who had experienced psychological harassment being afraid to file a complaint against her employer, vs. 14% for men. Workers are less reluctant to complain about co-workers, though, with 17% of women and 9% of men fearful of doing so.
Lastly, higher-paid workers appear to be more scared of complaining: 9% of people earning between $20,000 and $40,000 a year are in this situation, vs. 25% of employees with annual salaries of $80,000 and over. This may seem surprising, since employees in higher income brackets are generally better educated and more aware of their rights, but it could also be explained by their being closer to senior management, and the fear of losing their jobs.
The Ordre advocates zero tolerance for psychological harassment, along with the implementation of preventive measures to avoid contaminating the workplace when potential harassment situations arise.
Read the results of the CROP poll.