"Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you"…

This old children's rhyme from the 1800's was meant to persuade victims of name-calling to ignore the taunts of their peers. But since then, we've learned that name-calling can cause great damage to our psychological and physical health and safety. Name-calling, bullying, harassment and pranks can hurt us psychologically, which can manifest into physical illness. 

As of November 1, 2013, WCB addressed the issues of workplace bullying and harassment by adopting several policies that set out the responsibilities of employers, workers and supervisors to prevent workplace bullying and harassment. 

Employers are required to have policies and procedures in place to address bullying and harassment. The policy must inform workers that bullying is unacceptable and written procedures must be in place for workers to address complaints of bullying and harassment. The employer must also ensure all workers are trained to recognize bullying and harassment and to know how to respond and report these types of incidents. 

The BCGEU is offering anti-bullying training in various locations across the province in 2018. The course is two hours long, with additional time for questions and answers. Many employers from various organizations have utilized our training to fulfill their required obligations as set out under the WCB policy. 

We encourage you to discuss anti-bullying training at your next joint occupational health and safety committee meeting. Inform your employer about the training they are required to provide workers. Members can ask for employer paid time to attend the pre-scheduled courses in your BCGEU area office or anti-bullying courses can be set up specifically for your own worksite. 

Course content:

• Definition of bullying

• What bullying is and is not

• Legal requirements – WCB and collective agreement language

• How to address the issue

• Social network and cyber - bullying

• Prevention strategies and actions

To see if this course is offered in your area, visit https://events.bcgeu.ca/ohs or email [email protected] to arrange a dedicated course for your worksite. 

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call 604-291-9611.

• Download & print the PDF file of this harassment poster for your workplace.

UWU/MoveUP