Human Rights Each Day.com

Struggles with Language or, ¿Habla usted Inglés?

       Language is a great uniter…and a great divider.  I just got back from a vacation in Fuerteventura, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, just off the coast of Africa, and while there, the issue of language slapped me in the face…again.

       I guess it started when I was speaking to one of the Lufthansa’s flight attendants on the leg from Frankfurt to Madrid.  His English was not just good; it was flawless, with virtually no sign of an accent.  When I asked how many languages he spoke, he casually said, “six”.

       Yikes!  I was so embarrassed with my English and my just-enough-to-not-get-arrested-French (and I’m not even certain my English would keep me from getting arrested in England).  And that was just the beginning because when Jack and I arrived on the Island, we were in the southern community of Costa Calma where most of the vacationers and residents spoke German.  In fact we were doing a home exchange with a couple who owned a condo on the island, but lived in Germany.

       It was one of those weird things for me, because in the morning, when passing people, I wasn’t sure if I should say, “Hello,” “Guten Morgen,” or “Buenos días.”  So like a dummy, I smiled and nodded half the time.  The interesting part is that I clearly looked English or American, so most people greeted me with “hello.”

       I’ve travelled a fair amount and I continue to be amazed at the use of English and the privilege and expectation that people can speak “my” language.  Of course I find it insulting to think people should know English, so while in this Spanish country, I at least got to know, “¿Habla usted Inglés?” before blathering on in English.  Some people didn’t know English at all, but lots more would reply, “un poquito” when in fact their “little” was quite good and by the by, way, way more than my Spanish.  There were also plenty who were quite fluent, even in areas of the island where few English speakers frequented (having Americans or Canadians there was a bit of a novelty because of the distance).

 

So many of the signs were in English and it was almost  expected that if you didn’t speak Spanish, you could get by with English.

 

       For example, at the Oasis Park with plenty of animals, descriptions were often given in Spanish and English, even when most of the non-Spanish speakers were German.  No one protested and they all seemed to know to stay out of the alligator and crocodile pits, due to English instructions (or wait, is that just common sense??).

 

 

Before I move on, I almost forgot this one part.  During the last weekend on Fuerteventura, there was a much celebrated "Rainbow" festival.  While most of the people attending were straight, it was clearly a lot of fun and during a drag performance (and me without my camera) all, and I mean all, of the songs the drag queens lip-synched were in English.  While not as lavish, the following night the performers were walking through the street and I did get one picture.

 

       Yesterday in the newspaper, I read about Canada’s former finance minister and now the head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, John Manley giving a speech in Ottawa.  He was urging his business audience to encourage more education in more languages, not just English and French.  Because Canada is expanding its trade with countries all over the world, he stressed the importance of being able to converse in the language where you want to do business.

       I couldn’t agree more.  I could look at myself as a lost cause, but I refuse to give up on learning more French (albeit slowly).  And after this trip, I said I’d like to go to Germany…and would be willing to take at least a few lessons prior to, in order to get by just a bit.

       But we’ve got a bit of a barrier in Canada.  One of the most sought-after information on my website is regarding employees speaking other languages at work.  It continues to be a struggle where some people think it’s rude, or that others are speaking about them, or that it’s a safety issue.  Safety is certainly important, but on the issues of rudeness and possibly gossiping right in front of someone’s face (in another language), those things we’ve got to get over.

       When you get to speak your first language, especially if you’re not 100% fluent in English (or French in Quebec), it’s a relief.  You don’t have to watch yourself.  You don’t have to think about every word or every tense.  You don’t have to worry about others judging you…and often we are judging people based on their ability to speak English.

       Instead of being insulted or feeling left out, how about asking your co-worker to teach you a few words or phrases in their first language?  You might pick up a few things and you might have someone more willing to understand your concerns over common languages.  One of my Top 10 Challenges is about language and you might want to check out what I’ve written about that, or even purchase the very inexpensive video as a training item for your workplace.

       Yet again, on a trip like this, it has become obvious to me that those who don’t expand their languages will be left behind…in some circumstances.  We might struggle – as I do – but we’re never too old to learn a new language, or at least a few key words and phrases.  Never.

       As more immigrants come to this country with first languages other than English, we’re going to have more challenges with communication, unless we anticipate it, give people support and stop looking at having more than one language as almost a bad thing.  It’s a great thing and I can’t wait to keep on with my struggles, because I don’t like the alternative.

       One last thing.  On our last day in Fuerteventura, we went on an off-road dune buggy tour that lasted more than four hours.  It was a lot of fun and we got to know a young couple from Germany, Lauren and Mathias.  During pit stops and while sitting together for lunch, we got to learn some German and they got to learn some (more) English.  Jack actually knows a good amount of German from high school, so it was rather interesting.  Lauren insisted we stay in touch so that we could learn more of each other's language even over the internet.  I hope we do because I really like Lauren...she was shocked when she found out hold old I am (see my last newsletter about being referred to as a "senior")

Buenos días…or for those getting this in the afternoon, Buenas tardes.

Stephen

Last skill testing question:   Jo-Anne Pilkey from Vancouver was the first person to tell me that Wimbeldon was the tennis tournament, that in 2007, announced they would pay equal money to both men and women.  Jo-Anne won a copy of my book,  Managing Human Rights at Work.  Congratulations Jo-Anne.

Today's skill testing question:   Today is Persons Day in Canada because on October 18, 1929 the Privy Council of the House of Lords in England ruled that women were in fact "persons" when interpreting Canada's constitution for the appointment of judges and senators.  The case was started by the Famous Five women from Alberta when one of these five women's appointment was challenged.  The first person who can tell me the name of the woman who's appointment was challenged will win a copy of my book, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters.

Related Resources:

    
 
This blog: http://www.humanrightseachday.com/

My website: http://www.stephenhammond.ca

My Podcast: Type in “HumanRightsaDay” to the iTunes store and listen to each day's event from my book, Steps in the Rights Direction, or just click here.

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rightstoday (each day has historical human rights info)

Stephen Hammond, B.A., LL.B., CSP, is a lawyer-turned professional speaker. He’s written two books, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world. Both can be purchased on his website www.StephenHammond.ca

copyright - Stephen Hammond - Struggles with Language or, ¿Habla usted Inglés?

More than pain in the dentist's chair

       So last week I’m in the dentist’s chair.  I’ve got cordless headsets on, watching Rick Steves Europe while Ken and his assistant are doing their best.  I can’t help but notice the rail-spike sized needles he’s pushing  into various parts of my mouth, but no pain during that, because he’d numbed my gums already.

       Then, somewhere during 15th Century Spanish history, I just happened to notice that Ken was literally sewing part of the roof of my mouth onto the side of my gums.  Now I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t think it involved quilting.

       So while I’m enjoying the wonders of the Catalonia region, I’m thinking, “Ooooh, this is going to hurt when the freezing wears off”, but to my surprise – and this is now ten days later – no pain.  Ok, I can’t let anyone punch me on that side of the mouth as the gums are healing, but other than that, virtually nothing (not even the “pizza burn” Ken said I’d get).

       I spoke to others about this and I realize I’m not the only one who recieved grafting for my receding gum line.  In fact there’s this whole secret society out there that don’t come out of the gum-closet, unless you mention it (I think there’s a handshake, but I don’t find out till the stitches are removed).  And every person who’s gone through this procedure has said they’ve gone through great pain, or they know someone who’s gone through great pain.  Everyone.  But not me.

       Two things I’ve learned from this.  One – we really must visit Barcelona, and Two – some things that are painful for some people aren’t painful for others.

       You can’t swing a fake-fur coat around without hitting someone who’s felt some pain, not from something physical, but from mere words.  There are those who say, “No big deal” or “I can handle it” while others are so devastated, they start a very formal process or take stress leave.

       I try not to judge, but I’m human and sometimes think a person is “milking” some situation when it’s really not a big deal.  And in rare situations, that’s the case.  But most of the time it’s not and I have to get rid of my judgement and try to understand what’s bugging that person when others let it roll off their backs.

       For a long time in Canada, our courts and human rights tribunals have spoken about reasonableness when it comes to determining if harassment and discrimination has taken place.  They don’t talk about one “reasonable man” but instead talk about reasonableness for a person in their particular circumstance.  Hence a “reasonable man” might care less about a sexist joke, while a “reasonable woman” could take great offence.  The same would hold true if your skin is not white, or you’re not part of the majority of heterosexual Canadians.

       But this isn’t ground-breaking.  We know there are differences for people, even when we’re out at night.  If you’re walking home from a movie, a couple guys might part ways as they head off in different directions.  However if there’s a woman with you, you’ll often walk her to her home or to her car.   It’s sad that this is the case, but we know that circumstances are different, even in our relatively safe Canada.

       So words, jokes and actions will be different for different people, based on their circumstances.  It’s not always going to be easy to know, as we’re not in people’s heads, but if we start out by being a bit more sensitive to the things we say, we listen when someone speaks up, and we learn from past experiences…it gets easier.  Pain, discomfort, offence, whichever word you use, people are going to respond differently and that’s just part of life.

       For now, wish me luck (knock on wood).  If all goes well, even when the stitches come out, I hope I don’t feel pain.  But if I do and I complain a little, I hope you’ll understand.

Ole!

Stephen

Winner of last skill testing question:  Holly Guran from Saskatoon gave the correct answer that Robert Latimer was sentenced to 10 years by the Supreme Court of Canada for killing his daughter who was in pain from many forms of disabilities.  Many of you had many things to say about the case, with personal stories.  Thanks for sharing.

Today's skill testing question:  On January 25, 2007 a town council in Quebec let immigrants know they are welcome to move to their town, and they adopted a set of "standards" to help them out.  One of the standards said you can't "kill women in public beatings" and you have to leave your birth country's lifestyle at home.  The first person to tell me the name of the Quebec town will win a copy of my book, Managing Human Rights at Work.

Related Resources:

    
 
This blog: http://www.humanrightseachday.com/

My website: http://www.stephenhammond.ca

My Podcast: Type in “HumanRightsaDay” to the iTunes store and listen to each day's event from my book, Steps in the Rights Direction (the easiest way is to go to the homepage of www.StephenHammond.ca )

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rightstoday (each day has historical human rights info)

Stephen Hammond, B.A., LL.B., CSP, is a lawyer-turned professional speaker. He’s written two books, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world. Both can be purchased on his website www.StephenHammond.ca

copyright - Stephen Hammond - More than pain in the dentist's chair

Did you hear the one about the lesbian who walks into a bar and comes out with $23,000?

       On the week the U.S. military finally got rid of their 18 year old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, I thought it fitting to tell a story about a lesbian and a comic.

       When in 2007 I heard about a woman making a complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, because she didn’t like responses from a comedian I thought, “well, if you start heckling at a comedy club, you better be prepared for the worst.”  I’m guessing that went through the minds of many people.

       So then, earlier this year, when we all found out (with blaring headlines and talk show hosts screaming) that she won an award of about $23,000, I thought, “uh oh, here’s another nail in the coffin of Canada’s human rights process.”

       You see, from the comic’s perspective, (Guy Earle) there were three women who sat right up front during a comedy routine, started heckling him and he responded.  He openly admits (on a YouTube interview) that he started heckling back, with very explicit language and one of the women threw a drink in his face.  There’s more, but even if the comedian admits to going too far, we’re left with the impression that these women were able to dish it out, but they just couldn’t take it.

       This case was on my “e-pile” to get to, and it wasn’t until I spoke to a crowd in Winnipeg two weeks ago that I read it.  So let’s review the facts as told after four days of legal proceedings:

       In May, 2007, Lorna Pardy, her girlfriend and another friend went to a restaurant in Vancouver called Zesty.  They didn’t know a comedy routine was going on and didn’t really notice as they were outside on the patio.  When the staff brought them inside about 11:00 p.m. they were seated in a booth not far from the stage, but not the closest seating to the stage.  While the show was going on, the wait staff was having a normal discussion with these women about which drinks to order and it seems loud enough to capture the attention of the night’s MC, Mr. Earle.

       If I just say, you won’t believe what he said, or it would make your hair curl, it wouldn’t have the same impact.  When I read what witnesses reported and the adjudicator concluded was said, I kept gasping (literally).  However, if I actually write what was written in the case (find the entire transcript here), then ALL your email providers will block this …en masse.  So here’s word for word, what was reported to have been said, but somewhat encrypted:

• "Don't mind that inconsiderate d*ke table over there. You know lesbians are always ruining it for everybody."
• "Do you have a strap-on? You can take your girlfriend home and f**k her in the a**."
• "Are you on the rag; is that why you're being such a f***ing c*nt?"
• "Stupid c*nts" and "stupid d*kes".

 
There’s more.

       Right after those comments, Earle angrily left the stage, quickly walking towards the women at their booth.  Pardy threw a glass of water in Earle’s face, saying, “don’t come near our table.”  He got back up on stage to introduce another comic, but the crowd was booing and he said something like (again, quoted directly from the findings of the adjudicator):

• "Thanks for ruining the evening, f**king d*kes,
• "You're a fat ugly c*nt. No man will f**k you; that's why you're a d*ke. You fat c*nt."
• "Do you want to be a man; is that why you're such a f**king a**h*le?"
• "Somebody shut her up. Put a c*ck in her mouth and shut her the f**k up."

       The show ended a few minutes later and the restaurant lights came on.  Again, Earle approached the table and again Pardy threw water in his face.  Distraught, she went to the washroom, and on the way back, tried to avoid Earle, but he stood over her and a verbal exchange took place with both pointing fingers at one another.  He said:

• "You had to ruin the show, you f**king stupid d*ke, stupid b**ch."
• “You want to be a man, don't you?"

       Earle then took the sunglasses that were pushed up on her hair, broke them in two and threw them on the floor.

       Although there was a bit more exchange in the parking lot as everyone was leaving, that was pretty much the evening.

       I made the mistake of not only watching the YouTube video of Mr. Earle giving his side of things (which allowed the adjudicator to corroborate some of the testimony given by other witnesses), but also watching a right-wing Canadian tv commentator who interviewed the owner of the Zesty restaurant.  The owner, Salam Ismail was found liable for $7,500 of the award and during the interview it was revealed that he immigrated to Canada to flee this very kind of oppression that he was now facing from this “kangaroo court”.

       That’s riiiiight…people flee their oppressive home lands because comedians there aren’t allowed to yell at customers… on stage… with a microphone, “you’re a fat ugly c*nt!”  Canada must be the laughing stock of the world with these stupid kangaroo courts!

       Here’s the thing…I straddle this fine line between supporting the work done by Canadian human rights commissions and hoping to tell my clients stay as far away from them as possible.  Ok, I say this tongue in cheek because the commissions have a lot of good resources for employers.  But my line of work is to assist and support workplaces and other organizations to avoid a human rights complaint by ensuring they are following the laws and keeping up as precedents change.

       Sometimes I disagree with the decisions of tribunals and courts, but for the most part, their decisions are good ones, holding a very few people to account for some pretty horrible stuff.  Most Canadians support those actions and I’m one of them.

       If you hear about a case, like this one and draw conclusions before you know all the details – just like I wrongly did – it’s incumbent on us to find out the real facts and not just go along with the crowd.

Stephen

Reated Resources:

    
 
This blog: http://www.humanrightseachday.com/

My website: http://www.stephenhammond.ca

My Podcast: Type in “HumanRightsaDay” to the iTunes store and listen to each day's event from my book, Steps in the Rights Direction (the easiest way is to go to the homepage of www.StephenHammond.ca )

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rightstoday (each day has historical human rights info)

Stephen Hammond, B.A., LL.B., CSP, is a lawyer-turned professional speaker. He’s written two books, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world. Both can be purchased on his website www.StephenHammond.ca

copyright - Stephen Hammond - Did you hear the one about the lesbian who walks into a bar and comes out with $23,000?

Words of Discrimination

While I see, read about and deal with issues of discrimination every day, there are times when I wonder if there’s really not that much going on and perhaps I’m just too sensitive because it’s my line of work.  But three things happened in the last couple weeks and I thought I’d share them – all of them with just mere words.  I’ve decided to take a chance and use the actual words people spoke – some more offensive than others.  But that might mean some people won’t get the email as these words may be blocked by your server.  If I see too many newsletters kicked back, I’ll re-send it with some of the words modified, hence some of you may get this twice – we’ll see.

It’s seems like yesterday, but it wasn’t – it’s been about 10 days since I was on the spectacular British island of Anguilla in the Caribbean.  One day, while checking out an art gallery, I began to talk to one of the employees, Patrona.  Because I was from Canada, she told me how she used to work for a Canadian call centre.  When I asked why she no longer works there, she said (as casually as “can I help you”) “some Canadians would say, ‘you’re a nigger aren’t you?’  They’ve outsourced this work to the Caribbean haven’t they!’”  As I tried to pick my jaw off the counter, she casually said, “there are a lot of Canadians who aren’t very nice.  I didn’t want to take that kind of abuse, so I quit.”

Then two days ago, I’m talking to a guy whose company sells toner cartridges for printers and such.  He had repaired my printer and mentioned that his prices are lower than anyone in town.  Liking the idea of supporting a local and small business, I called him up.  When he was giving me the prices over the phone, he gave me some options and I was in a bit of a hurry, so I wrote the info down and said I’d get back to him.  He then said, “I don’t mean to be a Jew businessman, but I….” I kinda lost track of what he said after that, but it was his way of saying that I should act now.  In all honesty, I didn’t think I heard what I heard and so got off the phone before I could say a word (which I said on another call).

Then yesterday, while attempting to upgrade my cell phone to this millennium’s standards, I was in the phone store and all the staff were attentively watching CBC’s Dragon’s Den.  While I’ve heard of it and met one of the “dragons” in a tv green room, I’ve never watched the show.  If you’re not familiar, people come on the show pitching their products, trying to get one or more of the wealthy “dragons” to invest in their company.  Of the five “dragons” only one is a woman, Arlene Dickinson.  In the time I was being set up with my new phone, three different people were making their pitches.  This is what happened in two of them.

One of the fellows pitching his product, gave all the “dragons” the product to wear and said, “say you’re a waitress and you’re dealing with customers…”  The “dragon” he was talking to was one of the guys, so he said, “or a waiter”.  The fellow pitching his product (which truly had the attention of at least 3 of the “dragons” and I thought was quite imaginative) then said, “I was talking about the chick”, meaning Ms Dickinson.  She proceeded to take off his product and that was the end of her interest.

Another person pitching his product was making limited headway.  While there was a lot of discussion going on, Ms. Dickinson, said, “I want to make you an offer” not just once, but twice.  This guy completely ignored her and kept on debating with the guys, who were questioning the merits of his product.  After she realized she was being ignored, she said she was no longer interested.  After he got a deal - but not a very good one - from one of the guys, Ms Dickinson then gave this guy a tongue lashing.  While she never made a reference to sexism or the “old boy’s club”, I got the impression that was exactly what was going on.  She didn’t matter, compared to the guys, even when she was willing to offer him a deal.

How often are these words used in Canada nowadays?  I’m not sure, but I do know there are lots of men and women who still suffer the indignity of words that are perfectly designed to put people in their place.  Many people using such words don’t even realize how hurtful these words are, or their real meaning.  The fact that in 2011 I keep hearing Canadians using words that are demeaning (or worse), I realize we have a long way to go.  And I’m just talking about mere words.  Other issues of discrimination like denying jobs, housing or opportunities are a whole other matter.  But words count, they have meaning and we need to let people know this.  Sometimes it’s the simplest thing we can do to address the discrimination that still goes on in Canada.

Stephen Hammond

Related Resources:

Click this link for a list of products dedicated to words and terminology at work.

This blog: http://www.humanrightseachday.com/

My website: http://www.stephenhammond.ca

My Podcast: Type in “HumanRightsaDay” to the iTunes store and listen to each day's event from my book, Steps in the Rights Direction (the easiest way is to go to the homepage of www.StephenHammond.ca )

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rightstoday (each day has historical human rights info)

Stephen Hammond, B.A., LL.B., CSP, is a lawyer-turned professional speaker. He’s written two books, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world. Both can be purchased on his website www.StephenHammond.ca 

copyright - Stephen Hammond - Words of Discrimination

Bullying or Psychological harassment in the workplace: What to know in 2011 to prevent harassment and discrimination

Here is my 4th observation in 2011 for Workplace Leaders to address in order to avoid a complaint, legal action or turn off people in the changing face of Canada:

Bullying or psychological harassment in the workplace

Over the Christmas holidays, I took in the movie, The King’s Speech, telling the story of King George VI and how, with a stutter since childhood, he was terrified to speak publicly, especially after his brother abdicated the thrown, making him king.  For a moment, while sitting in the theatre, I was reminded of a high-profile Canadian case of bullying more than a decade ago that went terribly wrong. When I think of it today, it still bothers me.

Pierre Lebrun stuttered his entire life & was ridiculed because of it – in childhood and as an adult.  He was able to cope, but when he felt stressed, his stuttering got worse.  Lebrun worked at OC Transpo, which is the transit authority for our nations’ capital region in and around Ottawa.  On a regular basis, he was ridiculed at work and one incident got him fired – when he slapped a co-worker for making fun of him.  However, understanding that Lebrun was provoked, his union and the company agreed to re-hire him with conditions and changing his work so he was in virtual isolation.  One of the conditions was for him to attend anger management training, but the trainers said he didn’t have an anger issue, even though he might need assertiveness training.

Lebrun went into a paranoid delusional state but this wasn't recognized by anyone in the company.  He complained about being bullied, but realized there was no point making any more complaints as his supervisors never took action to stop it.  At that time OC Transpo had no structured approach for handling this type of problem.  So in January, 1999, Lebrun resigned and made his way to Logan Lake, about 70 kms south of Kamloops in British Columbia.

Then on April 16, 1999, Lebrun returned to his former workplace with a gun.  He left a note at his parents’ home which included a list of four people from work he had problems with and three people he liked.  When he got to work he began shooting randomly, wounding two people, killing four others and then himself.  None of the dead were on his list.

The jury of a six week coroner’s inquest in early 2000 made 77 recommendations from the results of the inquest, 30 of them having to do with workplace violence and harassment as they discovered an environment of bullying.

I want to at least acknowledge that we’ll never know if due to some other mental health issue or otherwise, Lebrun may have shot and killed people regardless.  But one thing we know for sure, he was relentlessly bullied over something he had very little control over and when he felt hopeless, he hit back in the most tragic way, taking the lives of innocent people and his own.  If we just think of him as “crazy”, then it might get in the way of preventing bullying in any or all workplaces.

Fast forward almost 12 years.  By February 1, 2011, Manitoba employers must ensure their workplace policies and practices are in line with the province’s new regulations on psychological harassment.  This means Manitoba joins Quebec, Saskatchewan & Ontario in protecting employees, not just against human rights harassment, but harassment in general, or let’s call it what it is - bullying

When I checked out Statistics Canada’s latest updates of our population from April, 2010, this means that about 2/3 of Canada’s population is in a jurisdiction that covers bullying.  There are exceptions in various forms, but for the most part, if an employee wishes to make a formal complaint, without having to go to other formal proceedings, they now have options through health and safety legislation.

The pendulum of protection first started swinging with sexual harassment, then all forms of human rights protections, such as race, sexual orientation, place of origin, etc., and now it has moved on to all forms of harassment.

I understand why some employers have been reluctant to move their policies from just human rights protections to all protections as a whole.  Employers get worried that when you expand the definition, the very sensitive employee, who can’t stand someone looking at them side-ways will suddenly invoke the time consuming process of a formal complaint.  When I had a “real” job many years ago, I worked in employee and labour relations and therefore am familiar with employees who in fact are overly sensitive and after a while people just tune them out (and to be clear, I’m not talking about people who have a legitimate beef, yet get an unwarranted bad reputation).

Well now, most employers in Canada don’t have that option.  Some provinces might hold out a bit, but I think it’s a matter of time before every Canadian jurisdiction gets on board.  After a while, it gets tough to defend a lack of mechanism that just gives basic protection – the kind of protection we want for kids in school and spills over into the adult workplace.

One of the things to consider is that with or without specific anti-bullying legislation, employees can find protection in other areas (for years now).  Depending on the circumstances, an employee will be able to: collect employment insurance for leaving a bullying workplace; make a claim for workers’ compensation if the stress prevents a person from returning to work; get compensation or a form of discipline changed or revoked through a labour arbitration (if in a bargaining unit); or seek wrongful dismissal and related damages as common law allows.

Knowing people have protections for bullying in various forms, and knowing that you really don’t need any form of legislation to have a truly respectful workplace, there are a number of things workplace leaders can do to ensure you keep up with, or ahead of this trend:

Get your policies in line.  For those who are mandated by law, a quick web search will give you all the requirements you need to get your policies up to speed.  And be sure to cover all the grounds, such as violence when it’s required.  For those who don’t have to, give some thought to including all forms of harassment or bullying.  As I noted above, I understand the reluctance, but it’s easy to put wording and practices into place that don’t blow the doors open for frivolous complaints.

Training is good….  In fact it will be required, depending on the legislation or regulations.  But don’t think of training as just a drain on what is otherwise productive time.  Have you noticed how much time our species talks about, gripes about, broods about and wastes time about issues related to how we treat one another?  I’ve seen the somewhat “official” stats, but I don’t need to – all I have to do is look around and listen.  In fact, you don’t even have to listen (here’s homework – observe people in coffee shops, restaurants and even walking on the street – can you tell when they’re talking negatively about another person??).  So my point is, training – long or short bits – can be very, very effective in getting people to change bad behavior, getting people to clarify their intentions when something questionable is said, and getting people to speak up when the behaviour of others is needed.

…Telling people to “cut it out” is better.  Workplace leaders – regardless of your level of leadership – can do all that is needed, with or without even the hint of a policy, by just telling people, in no-uncertain terms, to “cut it out”, “knock it off” or whatever language you prefer.  I know of waaaaay too many cases where a workplace spent time and money on creating a policy, educating people about the policy, reviewing the policy and then letting it all go to pot.  If you aren’t following up, then save yourself the time and money for the lawyers you’re going to need to defend the bad behaviour that went on right under your nose.  I’ll bet you 9 out of 10 times, when a workplace leader sees something that is obviously wrong and says “cut it out”, the person or persons will know exactly what you’re talking about, will not make any queries about what part of the policy s/he's referring to, and will feel a bit sheepish for getting caught.  Let me know if I lose that bet.

Stephen Hammond

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This blog: http://www.humanrightseachday.com/

My website: http://www.stephenhammond.ca

My Podcast: Type in “HumanRightsaDay” to the iTunes store and listen to each day's event from my book, Steps in the Rights Direction (the easiest way is to go to the homepage of www.StephenHammond.ca )

My Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rightstoday (each day has historical human rights info)

Stephen Hammond, B.A., LL.B., CSP, is a lawyer-turned professional speaker. He’s written two books, Managing Human Rights at Work: 101 practical tips to prevent human rights disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world. Both can be purchased on his website www.StephenHammond.ca 

copyright - Stephen Hammond - Bullying in the workplace- Psychological harassment