Glenn French began working as a workplace mental health consultant in the early 1990s, with an interest in the emerging field of workplace violence prevention. At the time, few were paying attention to the systemic workplace abuses that can erode an individual's mental health or well-being.
Glenn’s professional curiosity about the struggles that many were having at work as a result of harassment, threats, violent risks, and bullying has driven his ground-breaking work in this area.
After establishing the Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence, a social research and mental health consultancy, Glenn researched and catalogued trends in workplace conduct and practices in Canada. He worked to identify gaps in legislation and workplace policies and to recognize the increased risks to psychological violence for marginalized workers due to race, gender, age, education and sexual identification.
While he often struggled to find an audience of employers or elected officials who would take the issue of psychological abuse seriously, let alone see it as an occupational health risk that needed to be addressed, Glenn’s focus did not waver.
He has organized national and international conferences and urged participants to mobilize for improved worker protections, and has often argued that only through a politically-integrated and culturally-sensitive approach to the workplace can violence be effectively addressed.
In 2020, Glenn was a founding member of The Global Team Collaboration, an international, non-profit organization raising funds for workplace violence threat assessments.
Reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of social work to advance emerging issues, Glenn has furthered education on this issue through engaging with the media, lecturing at numerous universities and colleges, and reaching beyond professional or occupational groups to the larger community.
He has been a strident advocate for victims, particularly women who have been the targets of domestic violence and occupational abuse, and he has been retained by numerous law firms to provide his expert opinion.
Over a 45-year career, Glenn has been visionary and unafraid to advocate for those who have been marginalized, neglected, or exposed to the risks associated with workplace abuse. He has been an exceptional ambassador for our profession, demonstrating a generosity of spirit and collegiality that has been unwavering.