'The bullying is likely going to get worse, and the employer needs to step in immediately'
Jan 29, 2025
“Dealing with bullying in the workplace is an absolute must for employers, and whenever something sparks their attention as bullying, they have to stomp it out right away.”
So says Charles Millar, a partner with employment law firm Achkar Law in Toronto, after an arbitrator upheld the termination of a worker who engaged in targeted workplace harassment and bullying of a fellow employee.
The worker was a grinder fitter for ESCO, a producer of metal parts for heavy industry. Hired in 2017, his job duties involved shaping and smoothing metal parts. He had one verbal warning on his record.
ESCO had a code of conduct that prohibited harassment and bullying and had zero tolerance for safety infractions. All employees, including the worker, were trained on the code and other policies.
The worker was friends with another grinder fitter who worked on the same shift, but they had a falling-out. In August 2022, the worker criticized the co-worker for not helping to carry cases of water bottles into the plant, which led to a heated argument.
The worker and other grinder fitters worked in booths that each had walls that were several feet tall and were open on one side, with tools hanging on a board. Each grinder fitter painted their tool handles a particular colour. The co-worker’s tools were usually painted blue.
In late September 2022, the co-worker took the day...
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