{"id":24769,"date":"2021-03-23T01:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T01:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=24769"},"modified":"2021-03-24T03:44:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T03:44:53","slug":"toxic-bosses-should-be-the-next-to-face-metoo-type-reprisals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/toxic-bosses-should-be-the-next-to-face-metoo-type-reprisals\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic bosses should be the next to face #MeToo-type reprisals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Erica Mildner<\/a>, University of British Columbia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us have had the misfortune of working in a toxic workplace<\/a>. We\u2019ve experienced demeaning comments from a supervisor, verbal aggression, surveillance and sometimes even physical threats or intimidation. But what if these behaviours were treated as seriously as other forms of workplace misconduct?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canada, the emphasis on workers\u2019 right to a safe and healthy workplace in the wake of former governor general Julie Payette\u2019s resignation<\/a> provides a rare opportunity to expand the definition of workplace harassment and hold toxic bosses to account \u2014 just as serial sexual abusers have been outed and held responsible during the #MeToo movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Payette,<\/a>
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette delivers the throne speech in the Senate chamber in Ottawa in September 2020, a few months before her resignation. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is an especially opportune time to do so, given many employees could soon be heading back to the office due to COVID-19 vaccination efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payette resigned in January after an independent investigation<\/a> revealed widespread allegations of harassment at Rideau Hall. The investigation detailed reports of physical intimidation and public humiliation, leading some employees to take medical leave or resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this environment certainly sounds toxic, the Policy on Harassment Prevention and Resolution<\/a> provides strict standards to determine when toxic behaviour amounts to legal harassment. A \u201cpoisoned workplace environment<\/a>\u201d featuring hostile and offensive behaviours only qualifies as harassment if directed at one individual or is tied to a legal basis for discrimination, including race, gender and religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following these guidelines, the independent report concluded<\/a> that staffers\u2019 allegations did not meet the formal definition of harassment, despite finding that many of the alleged behaviours could have led to a toxic workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dominic<\/a>
Dominic LeBlanc speaks during a news conference in October 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s striking then, that in response to Payette\u2019s resignation, Dominic LeBlanc, the intergovernmental affairs minister who spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stressed Canadians\u2019 \u201cright to work in a healthy, safe, harassment-free workplace<\/a>.\u201d In her resignation statement, even Payette herself emphasized workers\u2019 \u201cright to a healthy and safe work environment<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The framing of toxic workplace behaviours as an occupational safety issue, one that could amount to harassment, recognizes the psychological trauma<\/a> that these environments inflict. If you were required to work in a literal toxic workplace, filled with noxious gases, you would expect a gas mask. Workers who face daily dehumanizing and hostile treatment deserve similar guarantees of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tough vs. toxic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A quick look across the border reveals how the characterization of toxic behaviour can have significant consequences for accountability. The week Payette resigned, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took centre stage at President Joe Biden\u2019s inauguration, delivering opening remarks. There was no mention of the multiple<\/a> investigative<\/a> reports<\/a> that Klobuchar has repeatedly engaged in abusive behaviour, including throwing binders and phones at her aides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sen.<\/a>
Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett in October 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Samuel Corum\/Pool via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most memorably, an allegation surfaced that Klobuchar publicly humiliated a staffer who forgot utensils for her salad, and demanded that the employee clean her comb after she used it as a makeshift fork<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klobuchar did not deny these accounts, but insisted<\/a> that she is \u201ctough\u201d and pushes people because she has \u201chigh expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others have noted the parallels between these cases and dismissed the divergent consequences for Payette\u2019s and Klobuchar\u2019s political careers. The difference, one writer argued<\/a>, is that the governor general \u201cdoes not actually have any important work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear, trauma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, the impact on workers remains the same: fear, humiliation and sometimes trauma. Whether someone works for an abusive supervisor at a fast-food restaurant or in the hallowed halls of Parliament, that supervisor is still responsible for their behaviour. Abuse is still abuse, and no one deserves to feel unsafe and frightened at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation around toxic workplace behaviour requires an awareness of ingrained<\/a> cultural<\/a> stereotypes<\/a> that women in power are aggressive, while their male counterparts are assertive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New<\/a>
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks before getting a COVID-19 vaccine in New York, on March 17, 2021. (AP Photo\/Seth Wenig, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Women also appear to pay a higher price for toxic behaviour, while men are given the benefit of the doubt until other allegations emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been accused of toxic leadership for years<\/a>, for example, yet he is only facing public censure and an impeachment investigation following recent sexual harassment allegations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Payette and Klobuchar are high-profile female leaders, and have likely been on the receiving end of gender stereotypes. But at the same time, given the scope and severity of the allegations against them, it\u2019s clear these accounts cannot be attributed solely to bias. Confronting toxic behaviour without reinforcing misogyny will require acknowledgement and vigilance \u2014 a supervisor\u2019s gender is no excuse to neglect workers\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple fronts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toxic environments can breed and compound other forms of discriminatory harassment. Workers with intersecting identities often face multiple fronts of abuse at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canada, for example, a former Rideau Hall employee recently came forward with allegations of racism<\/a>, highlighting the intensified mistreatment of employees of colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer, a British KPMG executive resigned after he told employees to \u201cstop moaning<\/a>\u201d about pay cuts, while also labelling the concept of unconscious bias as \u201ccrap.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If employers swiftly confront dehumanizing behaviour at its source, other forms of prohibited harassment will likely not be tolerated, emphasizing a culture of respect for all workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toxic workplace behaviour must be categorized as its own form of harassment. Fortunately, since Payette\u2019s resignation, the definition of workplace harassment for Canadian federal employees has been amended<\/a> to include humiliation and psychological trauma in the workplace. Federal employers must also submit annual reports<\/a> detailing harassment allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While these are promising first steps, these regulations only apply to about 10 per cent<\/a> of the Canadian workforce. For all workers to receive these protections, provinces must follow the federal government\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have found<\/a> that employees experiencing managerial abuse have a propensity to mistreat their co-workers, creating a toxic ripple effect<\/a>. Alternatively, if we raise the bar for workplace standards, especially for those at the very top, we all stand to benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erica Mildner<\/a>, PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of British Columbia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Erica Mildner, University of British Columbia Many of us have had the misfortune of working in a toxic workplace. We\u2019ve experienced demeaning comments from a supervisor, verbal aggression, surveillance and sometimes even physical threats or intimidation. But what if these behaviours were treated as seriously as other forms of workplace misconduct? In Canada, the emphasis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":24770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,277],"tags":[3473,7323,9648,9461,9649,3628],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24769"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24775,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24769\/revisions\/24775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}