The guidelines are clear and specific: they are not tolerated anywhere.

Years ago, bullying was an issue more associated with schoolyards and classrooms. Many viewed it as a rite of passage or part of growing up. Unfortunately, the practice doesn’t always fade with adulthood; bullies exist in today’s workplace and are an unnecessary drain on efficiency and performance, and can have lasting effects on those who experience it in any form or in any setting. Even government institutions are not immune from the effects of bullying.

The provincial government is one of many agencies that has worked to define what constitutes both workplace violence and workplace harassment, with several online portals with available resources addressing the issue. Section 3.O.1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) on Workplace Violence and Harassment (WVH) (PDF) defines unwanted and unprofessional conduct and provides outlined requirements on what responsibilities and protective measures employers bear against verbal or physical harassment in a work environment, regardless of its size. The message is simple: violence and harassment on the job are no longer tolerated.

The terms and specifications governing Physical Violence are fairly obvious, but under the OHSA they’re expanded to include threats, either written or through gestures, as well as any attempt at violence though no physical harm occurs. The definition of workplace violence is broad enough to overlap with acts that would fall under Canada’s Criminal Code, requiring the intervention of an outside third party in matters that break the law.

With Workplace Harassment, the Occupational Health and Safety Act defines it as “engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome”. That definition includes sexual harassment, which is cited as inappropriate or unwanted attention from someone in the workplace, and can involve messaging, invitations for unwanted relations -even leering or staring. This term also includes comments or behaviours regarding a person’s sex, sexual orientation or outward expression. In simple terms, Workplace Harassment can involve unwelcome words or actions that should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating or demeaning to a worker or group of workers. Intimidating, isolating or discriminating against a worker are included in that definition.

It also needs to be understood that harassing or violent individuals are not limited to hired staff in order to be considered workplace violence -they could be someone a worker encounters as part of their job. The offender may not be a co-worker but a client or customer, volunteer or a student.

As with Physical Violence, Workplace Harassment, particularly with respect to sexual harassment, may warrant an investigation under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, and might even involve charges under Canada’s Criminal Code.

Employers must recognize these behaviours and have plans in place to deal with them, promptly and effectively. By having a policy in place outlining the steps to be taken in the event of an incident of harassment, it not only helps targeted workers but also their co-workers. It could help to de-escalate a potential situation involving physical violence between individuals in the same place of business.

The underlying message with these directives is straightforward and simple: Workplace Violence and Harassment in the workplace are no longer tolerated.