Workplace violence and harassment

Definitions and legal framework

Workplace violence, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), includes any action, incident, or behavior that departs from reasonable conduct in which a person is assaulted, threatened, harmed, injured in the course of, or as a direct result of, his or her work. Contrary to conflict, violence implies the use of force, whether it is physical or verbal. Violence may be physical or verbal, and it can be directed toward people (e.g. colleagues, clients, subordinates, hierarchical superiors) or things (e.g. equipment, work tools, physical environment).

Harassment, a specific form of violence, is governed by the Act respecting labour standards (LNT) in Québec. Section 81.18 of the LNT defines psychological harassment as any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affects an employee’s dignity or psychological or physical integrity and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee.

Manifestations of violence and harassment

Violence and harassment can manifest themselves in various ways :

• Physical and verbal: Assaults, shouting, insults, threats, humiliating comments.
• Insidious: Isolating, destabilizing, discrediting, online harassment via social media.

Specific examples of psychological harassment :

• Constant interruptions and preventing the person from expressing herself.
• Deliberately ignoring and not saying hello to a person.
• Mocking a person’s tastes, physical differences or judgments.
• Assigning degrading tasks that she cannot successfully perform.
• Making degrading, racist, sexist or sexual comments.

Why take action?

Tolerating uncivil behaviour and failing to act in situations of conflict fosters a toxic, unhealthy work environment. Workers exposed to harassment display higher rates of psychological distress, depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic substances and musculoskeletal disorders. Truly effective prevention requires analyzing organizational factors that foster this violent behaviour. Moreover, between 2019 and 2022, the health care and social assistance sector was at the top of the list of sectors with the highest number of injuries attributable to physical violence, with an average of 60.05% of all cases for these years.

Supporting return to work: challenges and importance

Challenges of returning to work

Returning to work after a prolonged absence due to physical or mental health problems raises a number of issues for employees :

• How will my colleagues react?
• Are there new work procedures or new rules?
• Will I have the same working conditions?
• Will I be able to cope with my workload?
• Will my superior have any preconceived ideas about my health?
• Will I get sick again?

To address these concerns and keep the employee on the job, a number of support activities are needed. These initiatives start prior to the return date set by the physician and involve more than simple medico-administrative follow-up, including:

• An appropriate recovery period;
• Analyzing the obstacles to and factors fostering recovery and return to work;
• Preparation taking into account the employee’s concerns;
• Getting a commitment from the immediate superior to support the return;
• Properly preparing colleagues to welcome the employee back.

Why take action?

Mental health problems and musculoskeletal disorders are the main causes for long-term absences with a high relapse rate. A poorly prepared return to work increases this risk, especially if the initial working conditions have not changed. Clear communication and active support will reduce the taboos and stigma associated with mental-health-related absences. They will also better equip managers and give the employee back the power to act.

Work-life balance

Work-life balance

Work-life balance concerns the balance between professional obligations and personal or family needs. Every worker may, at some point in their working life, feel that there is a conflict between these two areas of his or her life:

• Sebastian, a father of three, must often take them to medical appointments during the day.
• Marjory does triathlon and trains with her club at 5:00 pm, three days a week.
• Sandra, a single mother, takes days off to accompany her daughter to her swimming competitions.
• Peter is absent to look after his father who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Why take action?

Work-life balance is crucial for a psychosocial safety climate within the organization. It improves staff attraction and retention while having positive effects on their health. Conversely, unfavourable conditions are associated with psychological distress and depressive symptoms, affecting workers' well-being.

Workload

What is workload?

Workload involves more than simply the amount of work assigned by the employer; it includes an essential subjective dimension. To understand it fully, we need to consider the real complexity of the work, the formal and informal demands, the resources available, and the unforeseeable events that can impact on workload.

Defining workload: risks and dimensions

In the area of psychosocial risk factors, workload refers to the amount of work that has to be done, the intellectual effort that is required, and the time constraints that must be met in doing the work. These aspects can be assessed by asking workers how they perceive their actual workload:

• Do they feel overwhelmed?
• Do they feel they have to work very hard?
• Is their workday very hectic?
• Are they often interrupted?
• Do they have enough time for their work?

Why take action?

Work intensification is an increasingly present phenomenon that results from major organizational changes. It is reflected by a steady rise in workload and increased mobilization of workers’ intellectual, psychological and physical abilities. This phenomenon is a major health risk associated with mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular disease.

Reinforcing recognition at work

What is recognition at work?

Recognition at work refers to the different ways in which effort and achievement can be recognized, including remuneration, esteem, respect, equity, job security and prospects for promotion. The recognition must be focused on the work and not on the individual. Recognition practices must be genuine if the people for whom they are intended are to feel their positive effects.

Understanding the impact: Effort versus reward

Based on the effort-reward imbalance model, this definition assesses health effects relative to the effort made by workers. That effort may be linked to time constraints, a significant workload, increased responsibilities or physical demands. The greater the imbalance between effort and recognition, the greater the health risks.

Why take action?

Studies have shown that work situations involving considerable effort combined with low recognition pose a risk for mental and cardiovascular health and musculoskeletal disorders. Excessive use of so-called objective indicators to assess work, without in-depth knowledge of the day-to-day realities, interferes with effective recognition, affecting self-esteem and generating negative impacts.

Reinforcing the social support of immediate superiors

What is social support of immediate superiors?

Social support of immediate superiors consists of management practices that promote effective listening, openness to the opinions of others and being available for employees. This indicator refers to an immediate superior’s ability to support employees, as well as the dignity, politeness and respect with which he or she treats them. This support can be in many forms:

1. Operational support: Providing tools, resources and time needed to perform tasks more easily. This includes resolving operational problems and encouraging teamwork.
2. Informational support: Providing information, advice and clarifying the roles, responsibilities and expectations for helping to resolve complex professional problems.
3. Emotional support: Listening to employees, treating them with respect and making them feel confident to help them overcome personal and professional difficulties.

Why take action?

In a context where work is intensifying and change is more and more frequent, social support of immediate supervisors is an essential protection factor in the prevention of occupational health problems. Making oneself available, listening to employees’ needs, respecting their abilities and providing them with the resources required to do their work help make the team feel respected and supported.

However, the heavy workload of managers in many organizations often limits their availability to provide appropriate support. This lack of social support can affect human relations and the efficiency of an organization, creating fertile ground for conflicts, harassment, absenteeism and staff turnover.

This observation is not unrelated to the succession of reforms in the health network, since the centralization of structures inevitably distances managers from the realities in the field. This has a direct impact on the support that managers can offer, and on the feeling of being unsupported by one's immediate superior.

Social support of colleagues: a driver for collaboration and well-being

Social support of colleagues refers to team spirit, the degree of cohesion within a group, and the extent to which colleagues collaborate with and help one another in performing tasks. It can be of two types:

1. Operational social support: This is instrumental support that is task-oriented, where colleagues provide a helping hand, ideas and advice to resolve problems encountered in their day-to-day work.
2. Emotional social support: This type of support is person-oriented, where attentive listening and the possibility of talking freely about their problems can help overcome professional obstacles.

Social support of colleagues is considered to be strong when the members of a team have a high degree of confidence in each other. This support is reflected by colleagues offering each other assistance to resolve problems, distributing work more effectively in peak periods and taking time to discuss how a particular job should be done. In contrast, low social support can lead to situations of harassment, conflicts or a climate of unhealthy competition, thus affecting cohesion and overall performance of the team.

Why take action?

Strong social support among colleagues can be a major factor in workers’ health and well-being. It promotes a feeling of belonging in the workplace and helps with the integration of new employees, as well as staff retention. On the other hand, when organization of work hinders the development of such support, this can lead to isolation, interpersonal conflict and increased psychological distress among staff.

Reinforcing decision-making autonomy in the workplace

What is decision-making autonomy in the workplace?

Decision-making autonomy in the workplace refers to the possibility of employees exercising a certain control over their tasks, using their skills in an autonomous manner and participating in organizational decisions. In a workplace fostering decision-making autonomy:

• Creative freedom and initiative: Encouraged to use their creativity, show initiative and develop skills to perform new tasks.
• Autonomous decision-making: Leeway to choose their work methods and control the pace.
• Participating in organizational decisions: Involved in the decisions that directly affect their work and change processes.

Why take action?

Fostering decision-making autonomy is not only a sign of respect for employees, but also an effective tool to stimulate innovation and skills development. However, low autonomy combined with a heavy workload may have harmful impacts on health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and mental illness, such as depression.

Optimizing information and communication in the workplace

What is information and communication in the workplace?

The information and communication in the workplace indicator encompasses the methods used by management to inform and consult staff about the strategic vision and context of an organization. The manner in which this information is transmitted, its frequency and accessibility play a major role in employees’ perception of how well-informed they feel.

In a workplace that has a “culture of secrecy”, where rumours circulate and contradict one another and strategic information is communicated only to a few select people, communication and information are often deficient. In contrast, when announcements are made in person and encourage dialogue, when managers are available to explain organizational decisions, employees generally feel there is high degree of communication.

Why take action?

When too little information is passed on to employees, a climate of uncertainty and distrust sets in and rumours often begin to circulate. Regular and effective distribution of information enables employees to feel better informed, understand the changes in advance and to prepare for them, thereby reducing uncertainty and anxiety. The way in which information is communicated may have an even greater impact than its content, by fostering a climate of trust and minimizing conflicts within the organization.

Concrete ideas from healthcare professionals are important. This is what the INSPQ thinks.

Preventive practices recommended in situations of violence and harassment

Practices to effectively prevent workplace violence and harassment

To effectively prevent workplace violence and harassment, employers can adopt the following practices:

• Zero-tolerance policy: Adopt, communicate and assess a clear policy on violence and harassment.
• Reporting procedure: Set up a clear and confidential procedure for reporting situations of harassment.
• Analyze the situations: Identify other psychological risk factors present in the reported situations.
• Training and tools: Train employees and managers on harassment, conflict resolution and healthy communication.
• Frequent reminders: Insist on the importance of respect and healthy communication.

Sources

Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST).

Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).

VÉZINA, M., et al. (2011). Enquête québécoise sur des conditions de travail, d’emploi, et de santé et de sécurité du travail (EQCOTESST), Québec, INSPQ – IRSST – ISQ.

FIQ, Towards well-being at work: a policy to fight violence, April 2024.

Recommended work support practices

Practices to effectively support a return to work

To effectively support a return to work, employers can adopt the following practices:

• Adopt and promote a reference framework or support program for a return to work.
• Train managers on the links between health (physical and mental) and psychosocial risk factors.
• Appoint a neutral person to support and assist employees during and after their absence.
• Meet with absent employees to identify obstacles to and factors fostering their recovery and return.
• Respect the pace, abilities and will of employees as well as the medical recommendations.
• Identify actions or resources for supporting recovery (mediation, specialized help, EAP, etc.).
• Involve the immediate superior in preparing and monitoring the return to work.
• Adjust organization of work to prevent relapses, based on obstacles identified by the employee.
• Prepare colleagues to welcome the employee back.
• Follow-up on the return-to-work plan and make the necessary adjustments.
• Acknowledge managers who apply effective support practices.

Sources

ST-ARNAUD L. et M. PELLETIER (2014). Guide : soutenir le retour au travail et favoriser le maintien en emploi. Université Laval et Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité au travail.

STOCK, S, et coll. (2005). Troubles musculo-squelettiques – Guide et outils pour le maintien et le retour au travail, Institut national de santé publique du Québec.

Recommended support practices for work-family balance

Here are some examples of organizational and management practices that are likely to have a positive impact on work/life-balance:

• Flexible work schedules:
  • Reduces work time (part time, work-sharing)
  • Adjusted work schedules (flexible hours, open-ended schedules)
  • Predictability in schedules and workplaces
  • Compressed workweek (35 hours in 4 days)
  • Accumulation of a bank of hours (credit hours)
• Access to certain leaves:
  • Sick leave for children and parents
  • Parental leaves
  • Progressive return after maternity or paternity leave
  • Progressive retirement
  • Leaves with deferred pay
• Working from home when possible
• Special conditions in the workplace:
  • Workplace day-care centres
  • Breastfeeding rooms
  • Possibility of working on personal matters at work

Sources

LIPPEL, K., MESSING, K., VÉZINA, S., PRUD’HOMME, P. (2011). « Conciliation travail et vie personnelle » dans Enquête québécoise sur des conditions de travail, d’emploi, de santé et de sécurité du travail (EQCOTESST), Québec, INSPQ – IRSST – ISQ, chapitre 3.

MELCHIOR, M., BERKMAN, L., NIEDHAMMER, I., ZINS, M. & GOLDBERG, M. (2007). The mental health effects of multiple work and family demands, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 42, p. 573-582.

DOLLARD, M. F., BAKKER, A. B. (2010). Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 83, p. 579-599.

Bureau de normalisation du Québec. Norme conciliation travail-famille (BNQ 9700-820).

Recommended practices for managing workload

Here are the recommended organizational and management practices for better managing workload:

• Clearly define the roles and responsibilities by involving the workers and by reviewing their tasks regularly.
• Assess and adjust the workload regularly based on new requests and individual abilities.
• Adjust human resources when there is an excessive workload.
• Plan changes gradually to adapt to and assimilate the changes.
• Encourage workers to participate in changes and provide them with adequate training.

Sources

FOURNIER, P.-S., MONTREUIL, S., VILLA, J. (2013). Contribution à un modèle explicatif de la charge de travail : le cas du service à la clientèle, Relations industrielles, vol. 68, no 1, p. 46-70.

VÉZINA, M., BOURBONNAIS, R., BRISSON, C., TRUDEL, L. (2006). Définir les risques : Sur la prévention des problèmes de santé mentale, Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, vol. 3, no 163, p. 32-38.

BRUN, J.-P. (2007). Les sept pièces manquantes du management, Les Éditions Transcontinental.

Strategies for reinforcing recognition at work

To improve recognition at work, here are the recommended organizational and management practices:

• Raise awareness among managers and train them on the importance of recognition.
• Discreet, regular and sincere recognition practices, based on the employees’ real performances.
• Career development via leaves for studies, training and promotions in a fair manner.
• Adequate compensation and other benefits recognizing contributions, such as extra time off or overtime pay.
• Encourage original ideas and new work methods developed by employees.
• Assess efforts regularly, as well as the results, by focusing on day-to-day activities.
• Involve employees with experience in developing training programs.
• Pay attention and show respect every day to all employees by thanking them for their investment or organize special events to celebrate group successes.

Sources

SIEGRIST, J. (1996). Adverse health effects of high effort low reward conditions, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 1, p. 27-41.

VÉZINA, M., R. BOURBONNAIS, C. BRISSON, L. TRUDEL, (2006). Définir les risques : Sur la prévention des problèmes de santé mentale, Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, vol. 3, no 163, p. 32-38.

BRUN, J.-P. (2012). La reconnaissance au travail : de la gratitude à l’intégration, Revue Effectif, vol. 15, no 1.

Strategies for reinforcing the social support of the immediate superior

To improve the social support of the immediate superior, here are the recommended organizational and management practices:

• Train or coach managers on management practices that foster health and attentive listening.
• Ease the burden on managers by limiting their participation in committees and number of meetings.
• Give managers the necessary autonomy to make decisions affecting the support of employees.
• Recognize and support managers who put effective social support practices in place.
• Organize regular team meetings to encourage exchanging information and give employees the opportunity to talk about their problems.
• Hold regular individual meetings to clarify roles, responsibilities and mandates.
• Encourage respectful language and behaviour on the team.
• Respond proactively to employees’ requests and suggestions.
• Intervene quickly to resolve conflicts and act as a mediator if necessary.

Sources

BRISSON C., M. GILBERT-OUIMET, C. DUCHAINE, X. TRUDEL, M. VÉZINA, (2016). Workplace Interventions Aiming to Improve Psychosocial Work Factors and Reduce Related Health Problems, Chapter 16 in Work stress and Health in a Globalized economy, in Siegrist & Wahrendorf. Springer International Publishing.

BRUN, J.-P. (2007). Les sept pièces manquantes du management, Les Éditions Transcontinental.

Social support of colleagues: What practices should be implemented

Examples of organizational and management practices to improve social support of colleagues

Here are some examples of organizational and management practices likely to have a positive impact on the social support of colleagues:

• Put in place welcoming programs involving more experienced colleagues to foster mentoring.
• Organize regular team meetings where members can talk about their work, share information and debate ideas.
• Propose team training to encourage sharing knowledge.
• Organize activities between teams to foster collaboration and sharing.
• Adopt collective styles of performance evaluations instead of individual to foster collaboration.
• Create informal discussion spaces for talks during breaks or meals.
• Raise workers’ awareness to healthy communication, interpersonal respect and conflict resolution methods.
• Introduce peer support programs to detect and respond to signs of distress among colleagues.
• Foster stable work teams.
• Adopt a proximity management approach with employees for quickly resolving conflicts and preventing a deterioration in the work climate.

Sources

BRISSON C., M. GILBERT-OUIMET, C. DUCHAINE, X. TRUDEL, M. VÉZINA, (2016). Workplace Interventions Aiming to Improve Psychosocial Work Factors and Reduce Related Health Problems, Chapter 16 in Work stress and Health in a Globalized economy, Under the responsibility of Johannes Siegrist and Morten Wahrendorf, Springer International Publishing.

BRUN, J.-P. (2007). Les sept pièces manquantes du management, Les Éditions Transcontinental.

JOHNSON, J., E. HALL. (1988). Job STRAIN, Workplace Social Support, and Cardiovascular Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Random Sample of the Swedish Working Population, American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 78, p. 1336-1342.

Practices to reinforce decision-making autonomy in the workplace

Here are the recommended organizational practices for reinforcing employees’ decision-making autonomy:

• Preestablished participatory process: Implement structured participatory decision-making processes to foster collective decision-making and avoid unilateral decisions.
• Decisions impacting their work: Actively involve employees in decisions that have a direct impact on their day-to-day.
• Inclusive committees: Organize committees and workshops that include workers from different sectors for a collective approach to finding solutions.
• Change-management committees: Regularly consult employees at every stage of the change process to ensure their participation.
• Flexibility in arrangement of work time: Allow adjustments in work schedules and offer flexible breaks when possible.
• Clear objectives and flexible methods: Set ambitious objectives while giving employees the freedom to choose their methods, tools, and pace of work.
• Development of skills: Actively encourage the development of skills through training, leaves for studies, and on-the-job learning activities.

Sources

VÉZINA, M., R. BOURBONNAIS, C. BRISSON, C. et L. TRUDEL, (2006). Définir les risques : Sur la prévention des problèmes de santé mentale, Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, vol. 3, no 163, p. 32-38.

VÉZINA, M., E. CLOUTIER, S. STOCK, K. LIPPEL, É. FORTIN et autres (2011). Enquête québécoise sur des conditions de travail, d’emploi, et de santé et de sécurité du travail (EQCOTESST), Québec, INSPQ – IRSST – ISQ.

BRISSON C., M. GILBERT-OUIMET, C. DUCHAINE, X. TRUDEL, M. VÉZINA (2016). Workplace Interventions Aiming to Improve Psychosocial Work Factors and Reduce Related Health Problems, Chapter 16, in Work stress and Health in a Globalized economy, under the responsibility of Johannes Siegrist and Morten Wahrendorf, Springer International Publishing.

GAUTIER, A.-M. et V. LANGEVIN (2016). Risques psychosociaux – 9 conseils pour agir au quotidien. Institut national de recherche et de sécurité.

Recommended practices for optimizing information and communication

To improve the information and communication indicator, here are a few effective organizational practices:

• Organizing regular meetings: Inform employees about the financial situation, ongoing or upcoming projects, action plans and the strategic vision through team, department and company meetings.
• Prioritize communication in person: Limit the use of written material (emails, bulletins, intranet) which can cause information overload. Encourage direct communication.
• Availability of managers: Free up managers so they can be accessible and available for their teams.
• Training in communication: Train managers on effective communication and active listening to improve their interactions with their teams.
• Encourage dialogue: Create spaces where employees can express their concerns and openly ask questions.
• Transparency and credibility: Prioritize sincere and transparent communication to reinforce the credibility of the message and reduce ambiguities.
• Develop a clear policy: Develop and apply a transparent policy on the transmission of information within the organization to ensure consistent and equitable distribution.

Sources

COLLERETTE, P., R. SCHNEIDER, P. LEGRIS (2003). La gestion du changement organisationnel, cinquième partie : communication et changement, ISO Management Systems, mai-juin.

JAUVIN N., R. BOURBONNAIS, M. VÉZINA, C. BRISSON, S. HEGG-DELOYE (2014). Interventions to prevent mental health problems at work: Facilitating and hindering factors, Chapter 14, in: Creating Healthy Workplaces, Ed. By: Biron, C, R. J. Burke & C.L. Cooper, Publications. Gower.

Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail, secteur « Administration provinciale ». Brochure d’information : Des moyens concrets pour que l’information circule bien.