What Workplace Harassment Looks Like
While workplace harassment can be overt or subtle, it always involves behavior that demeans, intimidates, excludes or undermines someone. It may look like repeated sarcastic comments, public criticism meant to humiliate, gossip that damages credibility or feeling undermined at work by being deliberately left out of meetings and decisions. It can include inappropriate jokes, sexual comments, unwanted advancements, discriminatory remarks or threats tied to job security. Sometimes harassment hides behind “just joking” or “that’s just how they are”; regardless, the impact is significant stress, anxiety and self-doubt for the person experiencing it. It may involve a power imbalance such as a supervisor withholding information, micromanaging excessively or setting impossible expectations. It can occur between colleagues as well such as spreading rumors, turning other staff against someone or shunning like not including someone in lunch or coffee breaks. Harassment can be a single incident or a pattern that develops with time and it creates a climate where someone feels unsafe, silenced and constantly on edge. Given time harassment erodes a person’s confidence, sense of belonging and psychological safety, turning what should be a professional environment into a source of emotional harm.
For specific information on harassment in Saskatchewan, refer to The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 https://saskatchewanhumanrights.ca.
More Than Just Stress: The Effects of Harassment at Work
Harassment in the workplace can have deep and lasting effects on your well-being. It often leads to chronic stress, anxiety, sleep disruption and difficulty concentrating. You may begin to question your competence and worth and you may view the mistreatment as a personal failure on your part rather than recognizing it as a harmful behavior. Your motivation and productivity typically decline, not for lack of effort, but from emotional exhaustion and hypervigilance. Overtime harassment can contribute to you experiencing burnout, depression and withdrawal from your colleagues. It may also strain your relationships at home. As you carry the weight of these experiences, your overall mental and physical health is affected and you may experience a psychological injury. If you are experiencing these signs, it is important to realize that you may be suffering from a psychological injury.
For a video on personal harassment, you can watch https://youtu.be/viqK98hFDZ4.
Practical Steps for Strategic Documentation When You Experience Workplace Harassment
Documenting workplace harassment is a vital step in both keeping a record of your experiences to recognize the harassment and in following formal workplace procedures to address the harassment. A structured record helps restore your clarity and is required if you decide to pursue workplace conflict resolution. Documentation establishes a clear, factual timeline of events which helps create evidence and credibility should there be an investigation.
- Start immediately: begin documenting as soon as a concerning incident happens. Early records establish patterns which are important in proving harassment. Even if the incident doesn’t happen again, keep a record of it.
- Record the facts: for each incident, write: the date and time, the location (in-person, email, meeting, virtual), who was involved, exactly what was said or done (use direct quotes when possible) and the names of witnesses to the incident. It is important to stick to observable facts. Avoid interpretation or emotional language.
- Describe the impact: make notes about how the incident affected you, your well-being and your work (eg. You couldn’t sleep that night, you felt anxious and nauseous, you had difficulty concentrating and struggled to complete your work, you didn’t know who you could trust at that point). It is important to describe the harm you experienced.
- Preserve Evidence: save emails, text messages, chat logs, screen shots, performance reviews, pictures, voicemails, meeting invites, etc. Store this information in a secure and private location.
- Track Patterns: review your entries regularly. Look for repetition: tone, timing, location, those present, power dynamics, retaliation after raising concerns, etc.
- Document your reporting efforts: record when you raise concerns (who you speak to, what you share, what their response is, any follow up actions promised or taken, and the outcome).
- Seek Support: if you belong to a union, ensure you make them aware as your union can provide support, guidance and advocacy for you. Also consider seeking personal counselling for support and recovery.
A structured record does more than prepare you for formal reporting, it helps restore your clarity and confidence when harassment causes you self-doubt.
Making a Formal Harassment Complaint
If you are considering reporting workplace bullying and harassment, your employer will have a harassment policy that outlines what constitutes bullying and harassment in the workplace as well as the procedure to follow. Ensure you follow the procedure correctly to be compliant with expectations. This often includes having a discussion with the person harassing you to ask them to stop. This is where your documentation is important to illustrate your complaint if you have asked for the behavior to stop and it has not.
Saskatchewan WCB Psychological Injury
The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board noted a 30% increase in psychological claims reported between 2021 and 2024. In May 2025, WCB expanded its criteria for Saskatchewan WCB psychological injury to reflect broader circumstances and a wider range of workplace stressors. “All workers who are covered by The Workers’ Compensation Act 2013 (the Act) are eligible for compensation and medical treatment if they suffer a psychological injury from being directly exposed to a traumatic event, a series of traumatic events or a substantial work-related stressor as part of or in the course of their employment…Workload or work-related interpersonal incidents may be considered if the work related stressor is excessive in intensity and/or duration. These circumstances would generally be considered a substantial work-related stressor: discrimination, bullying or personal harassment, sexual harassment and/or excessive and long-standing workload issues.”. Consult www.wcbsask.com for directions on making a WCB claim.
Workplace Harassment Support
Experiencing workplace harassment can be profoundly distressing, especially when you’ve spent years showing up, working hard and trying to maintain professionalism. You may replay conversations, doubt your instincts, or wonder whether you’re “overreacting,” even when repeated undermining, exclusion, intimidation and boundary-crossing chip away at your confidence. These reactions are a natural response to harassment, not a reflection of your worth or competence. If you are struggling to set professional boundaries or feeling paralyzed by a toxic environment, you don’t have to carry it alone. As a specialist in workplace stress, I offer workplace harassment support in a confidential, compassionate space to help you make sense of what’s happening and reconnect with your inner strength and resources. Together, we can address both the emotional impact (anxiety, shame, anger, burnout) and the practical steps (documentation, boundaries, and navigating difficult conversations) to recover. You don’t have to carry this alone. When you’re ready to feel grounded and supported, reach out.
