Misclassification strips RMTs of the protections that are supposed to exist when workplace violence occurs.

Misclassification strips RMTs of the protections that are supposed to exist when workplace violence occurs.

If an RMT were truly an employee, several things would automatically apply:

• Employer duty to provide a safe workplace (under WorkSafeBC)

• Mandatory violence prevention policies

• Clear incident reporting pathways

• Protection from retaliation

• Employer responsibility to remove or ban abusive clients

• Access to compensation and support after an incident

But many RMTs in BC are labeled “independent contractors” while functioning like employees.

When you’re misclassified:

You carry the risk - but not the power

• You don’t control clinic policies

• You don’t control patient screening standards

• You don’t control safety protocols

But you do carry:

• Personal safety risk

• Professional liability

• Income loss if you refuse unsafe patients

That’s a bad equation.

There is often:

• No formal reporting system

• No investigation process

• No obligation for the clinic to act

• No structured support after an incident

So what happens?

Everything becomes informal, inconsistent, and optional

You become economically vulnerable to unsafe situations

This is the part people don’t say out loud:

• Turning away a patient = lost income

• Reporting an incident = risk of losing your position

• Speaking up = labeled “difficult”

So people:

• stay quiet

• tolerate red flags

• second-guess their instincts

That’s how risk escalates.

Why this directly increases risk of assault

This is the causal chain you want your colleagues to see:

Misclassification → Lack of enforceable safety structures → Power imbalance → Increased vulnerability to boundary violations and assault

More specifically:

• No standardized screening → higher-risk patients get through

• No clear policies → inconsistent handling of red flags

• No employer accountability → unsafe clients aren’t removed

• Isolation in treatment rooms → no oversight or backup

• Financial pressure → hesitation to refuse or discharge

That’s not random. That’s a system producing predictable outcomes.

What happens after an incident (this is where it really breaks)

This is where your colleague’s stories matter most.

In a properly structured workplace:

• Incident is documented

• Employer steps in

• Worker is supported

• Clear next steps exist

In misclassified RMT environments:

• The therapist is on their own

• Clinics may distance themselves (“you’re a contractor”)

• No clear reporting pathway

• No legal or financial safety net

• Risk of counter-complaints (as in Bodhi’s case)

The system effectively offloads institutional responsibility onto the individual therapist

Why this is not just a “women’s issue” or isolated cases

It’s tempting for people to think:

• “This mostly affects female therapists”

• “That case was extreme”

• “I’ve never experienced that”

Push back on that thinking.

This is about:

• Workplace structure

• Power imbalance

• Regulatory gaps

The system fails anyone and everyone when there are no protections in place.