The August 2012 Legal Eagles, Duty to protect: Why office bullies can cost you more than time, and what you need to do to stop them was a special “by request” piece on a topic that’s been causing Alberta (and Canadian) employers a lot of angst lately. Robert James, the Edmonton-based head of the labour and employment group at Parlee McLaws LLP, and Stephen Torscher, an employment lawyer with Calgary human resources law boutique Spectrum HR Law. In a nutshell:

…one of your most basic obligations as an employer is to provide your employees with a safe environment.

A workplace populated with bullies―one that tolerators bullies―or even, simply, one that doesn’t know how to identify and address actings of bullying and harassment―is nota safe work environment.

So get on it, okay?