D6

Ginette Petitpas-Taylor
A WOMAN’S VIEW

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Hang out a shingle that you are interested in stories about bullying in the workplace, and you get an earful. Eventually you cannot help but think of all the money that businesses and government would save if they prevented or adequately addressed bullying or if, for example, Workplace Healthy and Safety were to add bullying to its jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, to date, a review of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission by an independent review panel has failed to address this issue. The provincial government can still seize the opportunity in its upcoming response to the review panel's report to finally deal with this issue.

New Brunswickers who have been targeted by a workplace bully say there is nowhere to turn. Women are more often than not the target of workplace bullying -- repeated, unreasonable behaviour that intimidates or humiliates an employee or group of employees.

Harassers, on the other hand, rarely pay a price for their behaviour. One recent survey of bullying victims in the U.S. found that in 70 per cent of cases, the bullying only stopped when the victim quit or was fired. The bully suffered consequences in 13 per cent of cases.

When workers are harassed or bullied on the job, their physical and mental wellbeing is affected, which can jeopardize workplace safety, and productivity. That's why the New Brunswick Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission needs to get involved.

Bullying is recognized as a health and safety issue in other jurisdictions such as Quebec.

The target of constant belittling by her boss, one woman suffered headaches and a growing fear of encountering her boss at work. She says she has to mentally prepare to go into work every day. The stress is leeching into her home life. There has been no follow-up to her complaints to the human resources division at her workplace.

Another woman at the mercy of a bullying boss worked in a dollar store and knows of no human resources department to which to complain.

The bullied worker who stays in a bully-friendly workplace will often develop self-protective behaviours that can carry over to a new job -- holding back on commitment of time, energy and enthusiasm, and engendering distrust of co-workers. Some simply quit, leading to high staff turnover.

One woman said about her bully, "He was evaluated as being a time-bomb waiting to explode, but he was simply transferred to another office in the same town." If she had been able to report this man to Workplace Health and Safety, an investigation would have been followed by an intervention, and just "transferring" the source of danger would not have been accepted as a solution to the problem.

While sexual harassment is forbidden by human rights laws, psychological harassment, as bullying is also called, is not covered unless it can be shown to be motivated by the victim's race, sex or one of the other prohibited grounds for discrimination recognized by law.

Some bullying targets have said there should be legislation that gives WHSCC authority to investigate bullying incidents and the power, through fines, to enforce anti-bullying measures. Since employers respond to Commission fines regarding safety issues such as equipment and procedures, they would equally respond to fines about bullying.

The larger benefit of bringing these issues under WHSCC umbrella is to allow for investigation and follow up services, and to educate people that bullying is a workplace safety issue.

The costs of bullying, sexual harassment and physical violence at work -- medical costs, benefits and welfare related to premature retirement and loss of productive workers -- reduce between one per cent and 3.5 per cent from countries' Gross Domestic Product, according to an estimate prepared for the International Labour Organization.

While reliable data is lacking, bullying is said to be far more common than sexual harassment or racial discrimination.

Workplace bullying is a workplace health issue. The Workplace Health and Safety Compensation Commission should provide protection and assure redress for victims. It should provide advice to victims, have a system for taking and investigating complaints, tough penalties for employers who tolerate it and provide follow-up to ensure the problem is rectified.

They should also assist employers to develop prevention policies and codes of conduct.

The final report of the Independent Review Panel of New Brunswick Workplace Health and Safety Compensation system issued this spring does not mention workplace bullying, though the issue was raised during its consultations. Its final report states "The thrust of the Independent Review Panel's recommendations is aimed at strengthening the current system while keeping in mind the balance necessary to have a fully funded system with the best possible benefits and the lowest possible assessment rates in Atlantic Canada."

Workplace Health and Safety cannot become stronger while ignoring real, sometimes ugly issues which can plague all workers, more often women. Perhaps it would have helped if the Independent Review Panel had included at least one woman. Women experience specific occupational health and safety problems, but their needs have not received the attention nor the protection they warrant in research, policy and program development, prevention and education efforts and compensation coverage.

"For every dollar spent on preventive work, you save nine in corrective work" -- the quote from writer John Byrne says it all.

n Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, of Moncton, is Chairperson of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Her column on women's issues appears in the Times & Transcript every Thursday. She may be reached via e-mail at acswcccf@gnb.ca