When Policies Exist Only on Paper: Workplace Harassment in Government Organizations

Government organizations often showcase their commitment to equity and fairness through detailed policies and collective agreements. These documents are presented as evidence of accountability and progress, promising safe workplaces and clear recourse against harassment. On paper, they appear strong and comprehensive. In reality, however, many of these policies are rarely enforced in ways that truly protect workers—especially those who are marginalized or racialized.

The Gap Between Policy and Practice

Policies and collective agreements should function as living tools, offering employees tangible protections when workplace harassment occurs. Yet in many government environments, these frameworks are applied inconsistently or not at all. They exist in theory, but not in practice. For employees who expect the safeguards promised in official handbooks, the absence of real-world application feels like betrayal.

The Price of Advocacy

Workers who speak up about harassment, inequities, or systemic barriers often find themselves punished for doing so. Instead of being heard, they are labelled—dismissed as “problematic,” “angry,” or “uncooperative.” The focus shifts from the behavior being challenged to the worker who dared to challenge it. This dynamic protects the institution rather than the individual and discourages others from advocating for themselves.

Deadlines and the Trauma of Silence

Grievance policies often come with rigid deadlines. In theory, these timelines ensure timely resolution. In practice, they disadvantage the very workers the policies claim to protect. People facing harassment and systemic oppression are also carrying trauma—trauma of not being believed, of being isolated, of navigating hostile systems. By the time someone finds the courage to come forward, the deadline has often passed. Instead of support, they are met with another barrier, reinforcing feelings of futility and hopelessness.

Mental Health and Silent Struggles

The weight of these systemic failures is heavy. Racialized workers, in particular, are left to struggle with mental health impacts in silence. Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout are compounded by environments that prioritize protecting institutions over protecting people. What should be pathways to justice become dead ends.

A System Not Built for Everyone

The core issue is that government structures were not built with equity for marginalized workers in mind. These systems were historically shaped within frameworks of colonialism, patriarchy, and racial bias. Without intentional reform, policies will remain symbolic gestures—statements of intent rather than instruments of justice.

Representation Matters

Change is impossible without representation. Unions, grievance boards, and human rights agencies must include more racialized voices—people who not only understand policies on paper but also the lived realities of oppression. Representation brings empathy, accountability, and a deeper awareness of the barriers that trauma creates. Without it, institutions risk recycling the same harms they claim to address.

Toward Real Change

Real change requires moving beyond theory into consistent, transparent practice. That means:

• Accountability: ensuring that policies are enforced without exception.

• Flexibility in Timelines: recognizing trauma and allowing workers the time they need to speak up.

• Transparency: making complaint processes clear, accessible, and free of retaliation.

• Equity Lens: acknowledging how harassment intersects with racism, mental health, and systemic exclusion.

• Leadership and Representation: ensuring leaders and decision-makers reflect the diversity of the workers they serve.

Until these steps are taken, marginalized populations within government organizations will remain vulnerable—expected to endure in silence while institutions protect themselves. Policies will continue to exist, but only as words on paper, failing the very people they claim to serve.