More than one in ten people experienced bullying or cyberbullying in Quebec in 2022. This is a concerning statistic from the Quebec Study on Social Relations in a School, Work, and Community Context 2022.
Since the creation of the Jasmin Roy Foundation in 2010, a colossal amount of awareness-raising, sensitization, and prevention work has been accomplished in numerous living environments. Plans to combat violence and bullying, anti-harassment policies, and many other mechanisms, whether legislative or specific to various public and private organizations, have been implemented, aimed primarily at making these living environments safer and more equitable for everyone and drastically reducing cases of bullying and harassment.
In 2019, we had made significant strides towards a better world; the statistics had significantly decreased, a sign that collective efforts in prevention and well-being had borne fruit. Unfortunately, the post-COVID-19 pandemic led to a resurgence of harassment and bullying in all living environments.
According to the Quebec Study on Social Relations in a School, Work, and Community Context 2022, “The people most likely to have experienced bullying or cyberbullying in the 12 months preceding the study are notably:
– Youth aged 12 to 17;
– Individuals whose sexual orientation is LGB+ (28% vs. 10% among heterosexual individuals);
– Transgender or non-binary individuals (34% vs. 11% among cisgender individuals);
– Indigenous people living outside of communities and individuals from visible minorities;
– Individuals with a disability that limits them in their daily activities.”
Source: https://statistique.quebec.ca/fr/communique/plus-de-une-personne-sur-dix-a-vecu-intimidation-ou-cyberintimidation-quebec-2022
Meanwhile, the Order of Chartered Human Resources Advisors (CRHA) reported, in a report published on January 25, 2024, that nearly 484,000 Quebec workers out of approximately 4.4 million employees had experienced workplace harassment in the last twelve months.
In short, according to surveys conducted to measure the presence of harassment in the workplace as well as perceptions of organizational practices to address these situations:
– “Experts consulted estimate that about 20% of complaints for workplace harassment are legally founded (the rest being related to conflicts or incivility, as well as to complaints considered frivolous).
– Based on this assumption, there would be approximately 96,800 actual annual victims, far more than the 4,909 recourse applications filed for harassment with the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) in 2022 under the Labour Standards Act (LSA).
– The data show that employers can do better in handling harassment situations:
One in three people (30%) does not know if their employer has implemented a harassment prevention policy.
One in four (26%) would not know whom to contact within their organization to file a complaint.
A similar proportion (24%) does not trust that their employer would take their complaint seriously and take appropriate action if they filed a complaint for harassment.
The perception of workers is more positive when they work within an organization that employs an HR professional,” it is summarized.
(Source: https://ordrecrha.org/salle-de-presse/communiques-de-presse/2024/01/harcelement-milieu-travail)
Suppose we aim for a positive and caring culture for everyone. In that case, we still need to remind everyone of the reporting mechanisms in each living environment and constantly update them with the help of human resources professionals.
Each of us has the responsibility to act. Now more than ever, we must develop social, emotional, and relational skills to rethink our relationships with others in all our living environments.
Together, we can observe the interactions between people in our living environments and bring about changes to create caring, secure environments free of harassment and bullying for everyone.
