 The relationships you have with your coworkers are a big part of everyday life. Having fun and spending time together contribute to your well-being and motivation. But when things at work are difficult or unpleasant, this can have a lasting negative impact on your health. Psychological harassment exists in virtually all workplaces and can be the cause of a number of psychological and physical health concerns. In construction, one in five workers claim to have experienced psychological harassment. On a construction site, anyone can be subjected to harassment. Harassment often occurs between two workers of the same trade, or between workers of different trades. It can also be initiated by a superior, like your foreman or employer. Harassment can even be initiated by someone who isn't on the job site, such as the client, another employer, or a representative. But what exactly is harassment? To understand harassment, you need to know its legal definition. In Quebec, we refer to the Act Respecting Labor Standards. And to better understand the definition of harassment, it helps to break it down. To begin with, there must be vexatious behavior. This means that the abusive words, gestures, or behavior must be hurtful or disrespectful. And they must be repeated. They can be hostile, intentional, and meant to cause harm. But they can also simply be unwelcome, with no malicious intent, but hurtful all the same to the other person. They must affect a person's dignity or psychological or physical integrity, which means that they cause mental and physical health problems. And finally, the situation must result in a harmful work environment for the person subjected to harassment, meaning they no longer want to go to work because of the unhealthy situation. All of these conditions must be met in order to conclude that it's indeed harassment. However, the law states that a single serious incident can constitute psychological harassment if the harmful effect of the behavior is felt over time, meaning that a single serious act can be the same as several repeated minor acts. When the behavior is of a sexual nature, such as persistent sexual advances, jokes, comments, insults, or the sending of explicit images, it's sexual harassment. And according to the law, sexual harassment is a form of psychological harassment and must therefore meet the same criteria. An initial investigation is conducted to determine whether or not the complaint is founded. It's conducted by a qualified person in a serious manner following a pre-established procedure, and it's all strictly confidential. During the investigation, meetings are held with the person making the complaint, the person facing the complaint, and any witnesses, so as to hear everyone's side of the story. Based on the findings of the investigation, either corrective measures will be taken to improve the work environment or disciplinary action will be taken against the person responsible for the harassment. Your employer must ensure that the corrective measures are implemented and that the harassment doesn't reoccur. To sum up, if a difficult situation is making you unhappy, if you're witnessing behaviors that are creating an unhealthy work environment, or if you're the one engaging in this respectful behavior in a given situation, do something about it as soon as possible. It's easy to trivialize inappropriate behavior. To think that time will fix things. Or to excuse your own or other people's behavior because you're going through a difficult time or simply because we are the way we are. These are all myths and the situation is more likely to get out of hand if you don't act. Talk to the people involved about what's bothering you or reach out to your employer to try to resolve the situation. Your employer has a duty to prevent harassment and take appropriate steps to put an end to it. But we're all responsible for helping maintain a healthy work environment.