Bullying in Canadian Workplaces: Understanding Psychological Harassment

When most people hear the word “bully,” they picture children in a schoolyard. But bullying doesn’t end with childhood. It can and does happen in workplaces across Canada. Known as psychological harassment, workplace bullying is a repeated pattern of harmful behaviour that targets individuals or groups, often leaving lasting emotional scars.

Unlike physical violence, workplace bullying usually takes the form of psychological harm. It erodes confidence, creates fear, and damages professional reputations. Yet its impact is just as serious.

What is Workplace Bullying?

Workplace bullying is behaviour intended to intimidate, humiliate, or control another person. It may be subtle or blatant, but it is always harmful.

Examples of Workplace Psychological Harassment:

• Suggesting or stating that someone is incompetent.
• Belittling, demeaning, or embarrassing a colleague.
• Using emails, texts, or social media to insult or tarnish reputations.
• Hazing or humiliating initiation practices.
• Threatening an employee with job loss or punishment.
• Spreading rumours or gossip.
• Excluding someone from projects, communications, or team activities.
• Assigning unreasonable workloads that cause unnecessary stress.
• Tampering with a person’s belongings or work equipment.

At its core, bullying is about control. The bully’s goal is often to leave the target feeling powerless, anxious, and fearful.

How Bullying Impacts Employees

Targets of bullying often feel trapped. They may change their behaviour to avoid bullies, withdraw from teamwork, or lose confidence in their abilities. Over time, this toxic behaviour can lead to:

• Stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Physical health issues (headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure).
• Reduced engagement and productivity.
• Higher absenteeism and even resignations.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, workplace stress and related mental health issues cost Canadian employers more than $40 billion every year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and disability claims. When bullying is left unchecked, it contributes directly to this growing crisis.

The damage goes beyond the individual. It spreads to the entire organization.

Why Bullying is a Workplace Issue in Canada

Canadian jurisdictions recognize bullying as a workplace hazard, either defined separately or included under harassment and violence. Employers are responsible for providing a safe, respectful workplace where bullying is not tolerated.

Failure to act not only affects employees’ mental health but also exposes organizations to reputational and legal risks.

What Isn’t Bullying?

It’s equally important to understand what does not qualify as bullying or harassment:

• Respectful differences of opinion between colleagues.
• Constructive performance feedback from supervisors.
• Reasonable disciplinary action taken by an employer.
• Good-natured joking or social interaction enjoyed by both parties.

The difference lies in intent and impact. Bullying is deliberate, harmful, and often repeated over time.

The Organizational Cost of Bullying

An unhealthy workplace has serious business consequences. Harassment and bullying lead to:

• Increased absenteeism and turnover.
• Higher costs for employee assistance programs (EAPs).
• Greater recruitment and training expenses.
• Lower motivation and productivity.
• Damage to corporate image and customer trust.

When bullying contributes to workplace stress, the ripple effects add to the staggering $40 billion annual cost of mental health problems in Canadian workplaces. Bullying is not just an HR problem. It is a business risk.

Building Respectful Canadian Workplaces

Preventing bullying and harassment requires a proactive approach:

• Clear anti-bullying and harassment policies.
• Ongoing respectful workplace and sensitivity training.
• Open channels for employees to report concerns safely.
• Leadership committed to building a culture of inclusion and respect.

With the right tools and training, organizations can create safer, healthier workplaces where employees feel valued and respected. Supporting mental health and addressing workplace stress is a critical part of this effort.

For nearly 30 years, HR Proactive Inc. has been helping Canadian organizations build respectful workplaces through workplace harassment training, sensitivity workshops, and customized HR solutions.

Call us today at 1-888-552-1155 or visit sensitivitytraining.ca to learn how we can help your workplace prevent bullying and harassment, protect employee mental health, and foster a culture of respect.