Adopting an anonymous informing system can generate psychological harassment

The Director General of a multinational company alleges that he was harassed by his superiors since, over a two-year period, he was subjected to their moods which went from contempt to commendation and from humiliation to praise. To begin with, the Commissioner found that the Director General was not a top-level executive, since the powers assigned to him were highly restricted. Secondly, she concluded that he had been subjected to psychological harassment, in particular as a result of the anonymous informing system set up by the employer, which allowed employees to challenge what little authority he had. According to the Commissioner, the fact that the employer allows anyone to use this system to damage people’s reputation and that he gives credence to any and all accusations in itself amounts to failing in his obligation to prevent harassment. The complaint is upheld. Bernard v. Olympus NDT Canada Inc., 2010 QCCRT 0461, DTE 2010T-725 (C.R.T.) Me Myriam Bédard.