Arguing, gossiping, and cussing are forms of workplace violence along with assault, murder and arson, says a Parks Canada report. The internal audit on workplace health counted 20 “violent incidents” over a two-year period but did not elaborate, according to Blacklock's Reporter..“Workplace violence constitutes any action, conduct, threat or gesture of a person towards an employee in the workplace that can reasonably be expected to cause harm, injury or illness to that employee,” said an Audit Of Occupational Health And Safety. “Most people think of violence as a physical assault. However workplace violence is a much broader problem.”.“It is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment,” said the report. “Rumours, swearing, verbal abuse, pranks, arguments, property damage, vandalism, sabotage, pushing, theft, physical assaults, psychological trauma, anger-related incidents, rape, arson and murder are all examples of workplace violence.”.Auditors complained Parks Canada’s Violence Prevention program “has not been reviewed and updated” as required. “Adequate training is fundamental,” they wrote..“In 2017, thirteen workplace violence incidents were reported and seven were reported in 2018,” said the report. Researchers did not identify the nature of the 20 complaints..“Currently the agency is not meeting the requirements to provide general training to all employees on their responsibilities under the Canada Labour Code and specific training related to hazards in the workplace based on each individual’s responsibilities and tasks,” said the report..Courts, and tribunals have issued varied interpretations of workplace violence. The National Research Council in 2020 dismissed a complaint by one employee who said his supervisor “raised his voice” and called him “a lowly industrial technology advisor, nothing else.” The complaint did “not meet the definition of workplace violence” under Occupational Health And Safety Regulations, said the Council..Parliament in 2018 passed Bill C-65 An Act To Amend The Canada Labour Code that required all federally-regulated employers to draft anti-harassment policies. The bill defined harassment as “any action, conduct or comment, including of a sexual nature, that can reasonably be expected to cause offence, humiliation or other physical or psychological injury or illness to an employee, including any prescribed action, conduct or comment.”.“Harassment can be bullying in the workplace, yelling at employees repeatedly, asking employees to perform tasks that are not part of their employment contracts,” then-Labour Minister Patricia Hajdu said in 2018 testimony at the Commons human resources committee. “This is about changing the culture where we learn to treat others with respect.”.“In terms of work-related environments, it’s going to apply to any activity linked to work, including offsite spaces,” said Hajdu. “I’m not attached to hours of work or places of work. It could be linked to online spaces. If two people are engaging in social media, it could be considered workplace harassment.”
