Toxic workplaces still too common in certain occupations

Prison guard’s complaint reveals workplace bullying and harassment still prevalent in traditionally male-dominated, ‘macho’ occupations

Toxic workplaces still too common in certain occupations

By Jeffrey R. Smith

Bullying and harassment in the workplace unfortunately has a long history. These days, awareness and prevention has helped decrease how often it happens, but it still remains too common. Laws have been passed to help fight such behaviour – such as Ontario’s Bills 168 and 132, for example – and employers have been exposed to liability in the courts.

However, certain workplace and industries continue to preserve and cultivate a culture of harassment and bullying. One can wonder what it might take for these environments to step into the 21st century.

It’s been discussed in this space and many others before about the problems the RCMP has had with its stubbornly persistent culture of harassment, which has led to numerous lawsuits and stress leaves among its workforce – particular the female segment. The national police force has implemented investigations and initiatives to fight it, but it’s evident things went on unchecked for far too long and now it seems a momentous task to set things straight.

And now a recent news report shows that Corrections Canada (CSC) has been fostering a similar culture of workplace harassment. CBC News reported a female prison guard at a medium-security federal penitentiary for male offenders in British Columbia suffered sexual harassment from a co-worker but little was done about it – even though some of the harassment was caught on camera.

The 42-year-old guard was on duty in April 2016 during a round of cell checks when her male partner thrust a cylindrical metal tool used for data collection between her legs from behind. The incident was caught on camera and was just one example of months of bullying she had suffered from this co-worker, the guard told CBC News. And the bullying wasn’t just because she was a woman – the co-worker also made fun of her thyroid condition and dyslexia, part of a “general culture of bullying” the guard said she experienced at the penitentiary.

The guard asked her supervisor to move the bullying co-worker to another shift, but was told nothing could be done because her co-worker had rights as well. Before long, she had to go on stress leave because she couldn’t handle seeing the co-worker anymore, she said.

The guard also told CBC News that, despite the video footage of the April 2016 incident, CSC took two months to look into it. Though the co-worker tried to explain away that incident and another one, CSC determined there was sexual harassment. Several months later, the guard asked the RCMP to file charges, but a prosecutor decided not to proceed with the legal action, partly because the co-worker had already been disciplined at work.

It may seem strange that certain workplaces still seem to foster a culture of bullying and harassment, especially given the potential negative effects on liability and productivity. But the case above shows how it can happen. It’s apparent the female guard’s male co-worker thought he could get away with his behaviour, and it’s likely he had not experienced any previous discipline for it despite it going on for months. And if the female guard hadn’t complained before, it’s not that surprising considering how long it took for CSC to take action once she did complain – denying the female guard’s request to move her harasser to another shift and two months before investigating, despite video evidence.

It seems there are similar factors that helped support this culture of harassment as there were in the RCMP’s case: a male-dominated workforce, disrespect for women and those who are different from the majority, a “tough” sensibility where people are discouraged from complaining, and a lack of desire from management to take action and back up what should be standard policies against harassment and bullying.

Things may be improving in many workplaces, but for certain ones, it’s slow progress. The CBC also reported that in the past 10 years, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has received 49 harassment complaints from CSC employees – plus the female guard from the above case, who has filed a complaint of her own – as well as an internal report from another federal institution in Alberta that described “a toxic culture” of harassment and bullying.

It’s clear that in certain work environments, there is still a lot of work to be done to move from a toxic work environment to an egalitarian, professional, and productive one. And we will probably see more legal action attached to these employers who can’t get their act together and ignore the adage that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

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