Here are some expressions that define harassment and which may be found in a number of business policies dealing with the subject, according to Isabelle Cantin and Jean-Maurice Cantin in their book called Politiques contre le harcèlement au travail et réflexions sur le harcèlement psychologique
MOBBING
‘’Mobbing is defined as a non ethical communication situation characterized by repeated hostile behaviours , through a long period of time on the part of one or many persons, systematically directed against one individual who is to react by developing serious physical or psychological problems. This constitutes a destructive process which may lead to permanently handicap the victim or even cause her death. Two conditions must be present in order to consider a situation being one of mobbing: term and repetition.’’
BULLYING
‘’Bullying may be explained as being persecution or intimidation. It generally occurs among pupils and students (In the world of education) following brawls, acts of intimidation and other gestures meant to exclude, reject and isolate. This is a form of harassment that often translates into behaviours that aim to scare or harm a weaker individual.’’
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
The authors have chosen to define sexual harassment the same way as the Supreme Court of Canada does in one of it’s adjudications (Janzen): ‘’Sexual harassment in the job environment may be generally defined as a behaviour, of a non solicited sexual nature, which leads to an unfavourable effect in the job environment or brings prejudicial consequences regarding employment for the victims of harassment (…). Sexual harassment in the job environment is an abuse of power, as much economical as it is sexual. It becomes a degrading practice that brings a serious offence against the dignity of employees being forced to suffer it.’’
PSYCHOLOGICAL OR MORAL HARASSMENT For this definition, the authors have chosen to quote from La Commission des normes du travail which you will find in a previous text above.
ABUSE OF AUTHORITY OR ABUSE OF POWER
The authors have chosen to use the definition from the policy against harassment of the Commission canadienne des droits de la personne : ‘’There is abuse of power when a person uses her power or her position, with the implicit power it holds, to intervene in a negative manner so as to undermine, ratten or harm the work or career (of this person). Abuse of power consists of flagrant acts such as intimidation, threats, blackmail, coercion (…). ‘’
HARASSMENT IN GENERAL
The authors have quoted the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec to talk about harassment: ‘’An objectionable behaviour lies on a notion of breach of trust, abuse of power or authority led against the victim; the language being used or the actions being taken aim to, consciously or not, maintain the victim in a situation of inferiority or ostracism in relation to work colleagues or, in a wider sense, the job environment.’’
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Definition |
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According to the CSN
‘’Psychological harassment is the hybrid concept of psychological violence and harassment since it is not a motif but rather a way to pressurize other persons.’’
According to the Commmission des normes du travail (CNT)
'’Psychological harassment is a troubling conduct appearing through behaviours, words, acts or gestures that join the four following criteria:
- They are being repeated*; *A single serious conduct may constitute psychological harassment if it affects an employee’s psychological or physical integrity and produces a constant adverse effect.
- They are hostile or undesired;
- They affect the dignity or psychological or physical integrity;
- They generate a morbid job environment.
As well, we should point out that sexual harassment in the job environment is also included in this definition. An offending conduct is a humiliating or abusive conduct that harms a person’s self-esteem or causes her anxiety.
It is also a behaviour that goes beyond what the person considers as being correct and reasonable in the accomplishment of work. Harassment may originate, among others, from a senior, a colleague, a group of colleagues, a client, a supplier…’’
Statistics
- As the CSN points out: ‘’Working incapacities for mental health problems in Québec have doubled between 1987 and 1998, and women are the ones being mostly affected; women are more often the victims of psychological lesions related to violence in the job environment than are men, representing an average of 60.3% of the population indemnified by the CSST for this type of lesion between 1990 and 1997.’’
- The CNT has received 2,500 complaints: 48% of the files have been dealt with and 52% are now being processed. One out of three complaints has already been settled between the employer and the employee, quickly ending difficult situations.
- 93% of the complaints are initiated for a repeated offending conduct (against 7% for a single serious conduct);
- 62% of the grievants are women, whom represent 49% of the active population;
- 81% of the complaints put in issue a person from a management position.
DISTRIBUTION OF COMPLAINTS ACCORDING TO LINE OF BUSINESS:
- Manufacturing industries (15.8%);
- Retail trade (15.4%);
- Other services, which are associations, personal or domestic services, entertainment or leisure (11.5%);
- Lodging and food service (9.3%);
- Wholesale trade (8.2%);
- Other industries (28.6%).
(Source CNT)
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