Do Your policies, practices and training protect workers from cyberbullying?

In late October, the Working for Workers Act (Bill 190) received Royal Assent. There were four primary changes introduced in the Bill, including expanding the definitions of “workplace harassment” and “workplace sexual harassment” to include certain virtual activities.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety defines internet harassment and cyber bullying as the use of the internet to bully, harass, threaten, or maliciously embarrass, including:

• Sending unsolicited and/or threatening emails.

• Encouraging others to send the victim unsolicited and/or threatening emails or to overwhelm them with email messages.

• Sending viruses by email.

• Spreading rumours.

• Making defamatory comments about the victim online.

• Sending negative messages directly to the victim.

• Impersonating the victim online by sending inflammatory, controversial or enticing messages which cause others to respond negatively to the victim.

• Harassing the victim during a live chat.

• Leaving abusive messages online, including social media sites.

• Sending the victim pornography or other graphic material that is knowingly offensive

• Creating online content that depicts the victim in negative ways.

Research conducted four years ago by the  Workplace Bullying Institute revealed that cyber bullying and harassment were already becoming significant issues. Nearly 80% of workers in the U.S. said they were affected by bullying and 43% reported cyber bullying. 

Sheldon Kennedy, co-founder of Respect Group Inc. says that in our virtual world of work, it is easy for bullies to hide behind their devices, and if left unchecked, their behaviour can cause victims to feel isolated and experience psychological distress and physical pain. 

WSPS Health and Safety Consultant Kristin Onorato says to avoid putting employees and your business at unnecessary risk, and ensure you’re in compliance with the new Bill, “Employers must update their current policies and procedures dealing with workplace violence and harassment to include any virtual platform, such as Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet, as well as social media, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, etc.” 

She stresses that employers need to be ready to respond to MLITSD inspectors’ requests for documentation of policies, harassment complaints and training records. 

Develop comprehensive policies and provide the necessary training

Policies should clearly state your organization’s commitment to protecting employees from violence, bullying and harassment. They should:

• Define cyberbullying and virtual harassment

• Outline potential sources of bullying and harassment

• State the roles and responsibilities of everyone in the workplace

• Outline acceptable online behaviour and communication standards, with examples

• Convey the consequences of virtual harassment and cyberbullying

• Provide step-by-step instructions for reporting incidents

• Explain how complaints will be investigated and remedied

• Provide information about resources and supports available to workers

WSPS advises customers to provide training for all employees based on their roles and responsibilities. Supervisors should be trained on all aspects of your violence and harassment policy, the organization’s legal responsibilities, the impact of bullying and harassment, how to identify bullying behaviour, provide support and respond to complaints.

[See: Four Ways to Prevent Cyberbullying at Work]

Kennedy says he has observed a major shift in attitudes since launching Respect Group in 2004. “When we started, if you had a violence and harassment policy, or anything addressing abuse, bullying, harassment, inclusion, or diversity, that meant you had problems.” Today, he says that having proper policies in place is essential when it comes to recruitment and retention.

Empower employees to protect themselves and one another

The first step is building understanding and awareness. Kennedy says that in surveys they conduct with their clients pre- and post-training, they see that people really don’t know where the line is and what is unacceptable behaviour. When asked, “have you ever been the perpetrator of any of these behaviours?” the number of people who self-identify almost always doubles because, until they receive the training, they don’t recognize that they have been engaging in behaviour that is considered bullying or harassment.

[Listen to: WSPS Small Biz Safety Podcast “Stop Workplace Bullying and Harassment” featuring Sheldon Kennedy]

In this Trusted Leader post he highlights that organizational and social factors often prevent employees from taking action when they are being bullied and intervening if they see others being bullied. “We’ve seen organizations where employees are punished or ignored when they point out issues and about their workplace. This breaks down trust and can stop the target and witnesses from reporting bullying.”

Your employees must trust that complaints will be taken seriously and all employees, regardless of title, will be held to the same standard of conduct. They should also feel confident they know how to respond if they are targeted or observe someone else being bullied or harassed. In the case of virtual harassment and cyberbullying, you might want to advise employees to:

• Avoid responding to bullies with anger

• Report the incident using the process outlined in your violence and harassment policy

• Take screen shots of offending posts, email, or texts to support the complaint

• Report social media bullying to the platform administrators

• Report threats to physical safety immediately

Cyberbullying can be subtle and insidious or more overt. No matter how it is perpetrated, it can be extremely damaging to employees’ physical and mental health and your business. Having the proper policies, procedures, supports and training in place are not just legal requirements, they are best practices that can help you attract and retain employees and sustain a safe, healthy and productive workplace.

Get to know the authors – Fresh Communications