Canadian Safety Reporter

7 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2015 News | April 2015 | CSR Social media < pg. 4 Permanent < pg. 1 Bullied people can become bullies themseselves Poverty plays signifi cant role in premature death place bullying, as well as proper enforcement, said Schat. "They need to talk about it and address it very openly, and develop policy around it. And not policy that is kind of dry and meaningless, but policy that's backed up by regular, ongoing communication, and enforce- ment," he said. "It's important that organiza- tions not tolerate indicators or instances of cyberbullying, or any kind of bullying when that behaviour occurs." It's also important to to train employees and managers around properly documenting incidents of bullying in the workplace, said McKay. "One of the things that is really important when you talk about procedures is to make sure that you're not erasing any of that documentation." Cultural change needed Ultimately, it's about changing organizational cultures that en- able bullying in the workplace, said Wright. "In environments where people are bullied, those people (can) also become bullies. So you really want to treat it as an orga- nizational culture phenomenon. It's not just about those one or two individuals who are bad apples that you need to identify and root out of your organiza- tion," she said. If an organization limits itself to just rooting out those one or two dysfunctional individuals, then it misses the concept of workplace bullying, said McKay. "It's a dynamic and it's shifting all the time." Just like with sexual harass- modate disabled workers pursu- ant to human rights legislation. e legal obligation is to accom- modate to the point of undue hardship. When it comes to addressing mental health using a similarly standardized method, Illing- worth said, there's a lot of work to be done. He pointed to the prec- edent-setting Supreme Court of Canada ruling Wallace v. United Grain Growers Ltd. (1997). The ruling underscored the importance society attaches to employment, saying, "A per- son's employment is an essen- tial component of his or her sense of identity, self-worth and emotional well-being… Thus, for most people, work is one of the defi ning features of their lives. Accordingly, any change in a person's employment status is bound to have far-reaching repercussions." Mustard concurred that per- manent impairment has far- reaching consequences, aff ect- ing workers' lives in a multitude of ways. "Regardless of the cause of the impairment — whether it's work-related or not work-re- lated, whether it's congenital or acquired — it is the case in this country and in most countries that the life span of people with a disability or impairment is short- er than the lifespan of people without it," he said . And while the IWH study did not specifi cally investigate why permanent impairment leads to a greater risk of early mortal- ity, Mustard said it is possible to speculate. In some cases the injury itself — for example, a severe crush in- jury or the loss of a limb — can in and of itself result in a shortened lifespan. But, for the most part, Mustard said, it is the way perma- nent impairment prevents many employees from fully returning to work that increases risk. Some workers struggle with chronic pain, which precludes them from returning to their pre- vious jobs. Others suff er from a residual loss of function — in ment, there's now legislation in place around the issue of bully- ing, she said. "But when you take a look at sexual harassment, that legisla- tion has been in place for over 20 years and we're still seeing cases coming forward that are hard to comprehend that (they) would slip under the radar," said McKay. "And the same is the case for workplace bullying. It is easy to look at as a piece of legislation, but it's much more difficult to actually implement, put in place and make effective." "Regardless of the cause of the impairment — whether it's work related or not work related, whether it's congenital or acquired… the life span of people with a disability or impairment is shorter than the lifespan of people without it." mobility, dexterity or sensory function — that prevents them from performing tasks necessary in their old employment. Many workers with visible impairments are passed over for positions be- cause of deeply ingrained stereo- types or prejudices, Mustard said. All of these barriers to re-em- ployment can lead to prolonged periods of low income and even poverty, which can play a signifi - cant role in premature mortality. "People who are, very often, very committed to going back to work just can't succeed in the workplace as well as they could before," Mustard said. The IWH study concluded more research is necessary to bet- ter understand work disability as well as psycho-social health and well-being and their contribution to premature mortality. Credit: Halfpoint/Shutterstock

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