Is workplace conflict on the rise in Canada?

There’s not enough evidence to confirm whether workplace conflict is rising, getting more intense or complex, or diminishing. Here’s a summary of the qualitative and quantitative information that is available from conflict resolution practitioners, HR specialists and researchers to help shed light on the question.

Conflict in general is rising and workplaces reflect what’s going on generally

Conflict arises as societies go through major change. In the last 10-20 years, we have been experiencing a lot of change including COVID, geopolitical shifts, climate change, economic turmoil, wars, political shifts, and socioeconomic change.

An increase in polarization has been noted by many researchers and commentators. 

Polarization divides groups into camps with opposing mindsets. The roots of polarization are found in identity, power struggles and perceived scarcity of resources among the groups. Polarization affects communication, collaboration, decision-making and trust in communities and workplaces. Unfortunately, polarization tends to escalate conflict because it reinforces fear and blame.

We see examples of the impact of polarization in the courts. The legal system is so bogged down with cases, it is taking more than two years to get trial dates. This, and other issues with the system has led to the need for major review of civil justice.

In the workplace context, we’ve seen strikes increase from an average of 104 per year between 2017-2019 to 194 per year between 2021-2025. And person-days not worked rose from an average of almost 1.2 million days per year between 2017-2019 to almost 4.3 million lost days in 2025 alone. This is in spite of the fact that the rate of unionization in Canada has been declining. Statistics Canada data show that the rate of unionization has fallen from a record high 37.6% in 1981 to 30.4% in 2023, with much of the decline occurring after 1997.

In a 2009 study of conflict in Canadian workplaces, Blaine Donais reported that almost every category of conflict source was found in the majority of workplaces. The majority of workplaces (86%) identified economic pressures as a source of conflict. Interestingly, the study found that unionized workplaces reported more sources of conflict than non-unionized workplaces. This is not interpreted to mean that there is more conflict in unionized workplaces, but that conflict in unionized workplaces is more observable. This could be, Donais asserts, because workers have greater confidence in the conflict management system in unionized workplaces.

Almost 70% of Canadian workers experienced harassment and violence in the workplace in 2024-25, according to a study by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children (CREVAWC) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). About 25% of Canadian employees are experiencing increased tension or conflict at work, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s 2022 mental-health index.

In federal government workplace surveys, the most frequently cited types of conflict include interpersonal conflict (63%), management practice conflicts (50%), human resources-related issues (33%), harassment (24%) and discrimination (24%). 

Across Canadian workplaces, one in three Canadian workers report experiencing psychological harassment at work. Workplace harassment is defined as a pattern of vexatious comment or conduct directed at a specific person or group that a reasonable person would consider unwelcome.

Statistics Canada reports that 47% of women and 31% of men have experienced workplace harassment or sexual assault in their lifetime and the Canadian Labour Congress found that 70% of Canadian employees experienced workplace harassment or violence over 2020-2021. A follow-up survey in 2025 found that rates of harassment and violence originating from third parties (such as customers, clients, patients, or students) have risen from 31% to 36%, while co-worker harassment rates have declined from 39% to 33%.

Not all workers are equally targeted. Higher rates of workplace harassment and violence affect Indigenous workers (74%), workers with a disability (76%), and 66% of gender diverse and 2SLGBTQIA+ workers experienced sexual harassment and violence.

A 2024 report found that the number of harassment and violence occurrences reported by federally regulated employers increased by 5.7% between 2023 and 2024. Over the same period, reported sexual harassment and sexual violence occurrences declined by 22.5%. There was also a 2.6% increase in the number of harassment and violence occurrences reported that were linked to the grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

After a review of all this information, it remains difficult to draw a conclusion about whether workplace conflict is rising or not. One thing that is clear is that workplace conflict is experienced by the majority of Canadian workers and that workplace conflict is a source of stress and anxiety to most of those who experience it.