What’s the most common form of mistreatment in Canadian workplaces?

Incivility is the most prevalent form of mistreatment in Canadian workplaces, according to a recent study from Quebec.

Nearly 75 per cent of individuals who experience or witness interpersonal mistreatment at work report incivility as the primary issue, according to an article by The Canadian Press (CP).

Overall, 34 per cent of workers experience interpersonal mistreatment—including incivility—while 44 per cent have witnessed it, Rémi Labelle-Deraspe, a professor in the Department of Human Resources Management at the Université de Sherbrooke’s School of Management, notes in his research.

However, he notes that it remains difficult to determine trends in this phenomenon due to a lack of comprehensive data.

Incivility in the workplace refers to rude or disrespectful behaviour that is often subtle but negatively impacts the work environment, notes Richard B. Johnson, co-founder and partner at Ascent Employment Law in Vancouver, in a Human Resources Director article.

“We’re [talking] about exchanges of words or gestures that may at first glance seem inconsequential or clumsy, but which will still violate conventional norms regarding respect in the workplace,” explains Labelle-Deraspe in the CP report posted in City News. 

Behaviours fall below threshold of harassment

Labelle-Deraspe points out that of the hundreds of thousands of complaints received by Quebec’s Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) in 2024, just over 4,500 were processed as harassment cases. He says that many behaviours fall below the legal threshold for harassment or discrimination and are therefore not addressed, even though they are the most common and widespread forms of mistreatment.

“In all structures where things are going to be more rigid, where there is going to be more hierarchy, where there is going to be more power games, where we are going to find leadership styles that are going to be a little more authoritarian, where you find a lot of rules and restrictions, obviously that creates, whether on a structural or organisational level, conditions that are going to encourage incivility,” says Labelle-Deraspe.

The study also indicates that women and visible minorities are more likely to be targets of incivility, with risk increasing for those at the intersection of multiple marginalised identities.

Only 18 per cent of employees in Canada report full engagement at work, a three-point overall percentage drop compared to 2023, according to a previous study.

How to address workplace misconduct and incivility

Here are some ways employers can address incivility at work, as Joyce E. A. Russell, a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist, shares via Forbes:

• Establish a code of conduct.
• Educate employees on examples of incivility and what the costs are of uncivil behaviour in the workplace.
• Use the hiring process to select individuals who will model civil behaviours.
• Ensure that the top leaders support and model civility.
• Enforce a zero-tolerance policy of incivility at work.
• Reward and recognise employees who model civility.
• Provide training on conflict and effectively coping with conflict.
• Let employees take a stand against incivility and speak up.
• Provide training for how individuals should give feedback to others.

Most employers recognize the value that friendships bring to the workplace – and many are actively working to foster these connections, according to a previous report by Express Employment Professionals.