Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 61 Bullying in the Workplace What is workplace bullying? Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could 'mentally' hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behaviour that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person or group of people. It has also been described as the assertion of power through aggression. Is bullying a workplace issue? Currently there is little occupational health and safety legislation in Canada that specifically deals with bullying in the workplace. Quebec legislation includes "psychological harassment" in the "Act Respecting Labour Standards". Some jurisdictions have legislation on workplace violence in which bullying is included. In addition, employers have a general duty to protect employees from risks at work. This duty can mean both physical harm and mental health. Many employers choose to address the issue of bullying as both physical and mental harm can "cost" an organization. In general, there will be differences in opinion and sometimes conflicts at work. However, behaviour that is unreasonable and offends or harms any person should not be tolerated. What are examples of bullying? While bullying is a form of aggression, the actions can be both obvious and subtle. It is important to note that the following is not a checklist, nor does it mention all forms of bullying. This list is included as a way of showing some of the ways bullying may happen in a workplace. Also remember that bullying is usually considered to be a pattern of behaviour where one or more incidents will help show that bullying is taking place. examples include: • spreading malicious rumours, gossip, or innuendo that is not true • excluding or isolating someone socially • intimidating a person • undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work • physically abusing or threatening abuse • removing areas of responsibilities without cause • constantly changing work guidelines • establishing impossible deadlines that will set up the individual to fail • withholding necessary information or purposefully giving the wrong information • making jokes that are 'obviously offensive' by spoken word or e-mail • intruding on a person's privacy by pestering, spying or stalking • assigning unreasonable duties or workload which are unfavourable to one person (in a way that creates unnecessary pressure) • underwork - creating a feeling of uselessness • yelling or using profanity • criticising a person persistently or constantly • belittling a person's opinions
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