▲이미지=클립아트코리아
[노동법률] 정봉수 강남노무법인 대표공인노무사
I. 문제의 소재
직장 내 괴롭힘의 결과로 가장 많이 발생하는 것이 우울증, 불안장애, 적응장애와 같은 정신질환이다. 이러한 정신질환이 악화되면 정신과 의사의 진단을 받게 되고 그러한 정신질환이 업무와 상당한 인과관계가 인정되는 경우에는 산업재해로 인정받아 산업재해보상보험법(산재보험법)에 따른 요양급여와 휴업급여를 지급받을 수 있다. 하지만 이러한 부분을 산재로 인정받기 위해서는 정신질환이 산재보험법상 인정되는 질환이어야 하고, 그러한 질병이 업무로부터 발생했다는 사실을 해당 근로자가 입증을 해야 한다. 현실적으로 입증이 어렵기 때문에 우선 (i)회사가 직장 내 괴롭힘으로 인정하거나 (ii)노동청 조사에서 직장 내 괴롭힘으로 인정받는 절차가 필요하다. 그러나 정신과 진단을 받은 피해자가 회사로부터 직장 내 괴롭힘을 인정받는 것이 쉽지 않고, 노동청을 통해서 직장 내 괴롭힘을 인정받는 데에도 상당한 시간이 소요된다. 최근 근로복지공단은 직장 내 괴롭힘에 관련된 '정신질병 업무관련성 조사 지침'을 대폭 개정해 괴롭힘으로 인한 정신질병에 대해 구체적으로 조사방법을 제시하고 있다. 아래는 한 여직원이 직장 상사의 괴롭힘으로 인해 정신질병을 얻는 사례다. 사례를 통해 피해근로자가 직장 내 괴롭힘으로 인한 정신질환을 산업재해로 인정받기 위한 요건을 구체적으로 살펴보고자 한다.
II. 직장 내 괴롭힘으로 인한 정신질환을 갖게 된 사례
1. 직장 내 괴롭힘 내용
사원 김은주는 100여 명 규모의 A 사에 2020년 5월 25일에 입사해 기계팀에서 기계설계를 담당했고, 직속 팀장은 외국인이다. 가해자는 영업개발팀의 강덕구 팀장(이하 '강 팀장')으로 관할 부서도 아니면서, 김 씨의 업무에 관여했고 지속적으로 괴롭혔다. 괴롭힘은 2021년 11월 10일부터 시작됐다. 강 팀장은 업무가 시작하기 전인 오전 8시 54분에 김 씨에게 전화해서 "어디냐?"고 물었다. 김 씨가 1층이라고 했더니, "이 시간에 왜 거기에 있냐?"라고 했고 김 씨가 자리로 돌아왔더니 무슨 용건이 있는 것도 아니었음에도 삿대질을 하면서 "자리 비우지 말라"고 했다. 커피를 사러 나가서 여러 동료들과 같이 있었는데도 불구하고 김 씨에게만 야단을 쳤다.
두 번째는 2021년 12월 23일 김 씨와 같은 층에서 몇 명이 야근을 하면서 저녁을 시켜 먹어야 하는 상황이었다. 강 팀장은 "은주 씨는 안 먹을 거죠?"라며 일방적으로 김 씨만 제외하고 야식을 주문했다. 그리고 며칠 후 김 씨가 맡은 일을 서둘러 마치고 퇴근하려고 하자, 강 팀장은 마침 옆에 있던 ○○ 상무한테 큰소리로, "누구는 시간이 남아돌아서 야근하냐, 가는 사람들은 뭐냐?"며 김 씨를 쳐다보면서 귀에 거슬리는 말을 했다.
세 번째는 2022년 1월 5일이다. 김 씨는 업무 때문에 전기팀 과장 진 모 씨와 얘기를 하고 있었는데, 강 팀장이 끼어들어, "진 과장, 김은주 씨한테 일 줄 거 없냐?"고 했다. 해당 부서 상급자도 아니면서 업무를 지시하려고 하는 것에 김 씨는 불쾌감을 느꼈다.
네 번째는 2022년 5월 23일이다. 강 팀장이 김 씨 부서 팀장에게 전화를 걸어 "이거 급한데 김 씨는 야근하냐?"고 묻는 소리가 들렸다. 타 부서 팀장이 해당 팀장에게 김 씨의 야근을 조장하는 게 무척 불쾌하게 느껴졌다.
다섯 번째는 2022년 7월 20일 김 씨가 물품구매를 하면서 견적서 없이 구매를 요청할 때다. 강 팀장은 김 씨에게 전화를 해서 "발주서가 어디서 나간 거야? 그 금액으로 구매하면 우린 뭐 먹고 사냐. 김은주 씨가 책임질 거냐. 혼자 알아서 처리하지 말고 윗사람들에게 좀 물어보고 해라." 등의 말로 비꼬며 면박을 줬다. 김 씨는 얼마 후 강 팀장에게 '견적서를 확인하니 오류가 있어 다시 구매를 요청한다'는 이메일을 보냈다. 강 팀장은 김 씨를 수신인으로 보내면서, 실제 업무와 상관도 없는 영업개발팀, 전기팀, 기계팀 전원에게 참조를 걸어 이메일을 보냈다. 그 이메일에서는 김 씨의 실수를 크게 확대해석하면서, 같은 실수를 하지 말아야 한다는 내용으로 발송했다. 전화로 면박 줬음에도 불구하고 이메일로 타 부서원들에게까지 창피를 주는 행위를 했다. 이 일로 인해 김 씨는 다른 부서 직원들과 일하는 데도 불편한 상황이 됐고 큰 스트레스를 받았다.
2. 회사의 부실한 조사와 2차 피해
2022년 7월 20일 이메일 사건 후 김 씨는 극심한 정신적 고통을 받았고 내부적으로 더 많은 일들이 몰렸다. 김 씨는 같은 해 10월 20일 정신적·신체적 고통이 심해 정신과 의사 상담을 받았고, 적응장애 판정을 받았다. 그 진단서에는 앞으로 3개월간 요양이 필요하다는 소견이 기재돼 있었다. 김 씨는 정신과 의사의 소견서를 가지고 유급휴직을 신청했다. 인사부서장이 없어 사장에게 직접 진단서를 냈다. 김 씨는 같은 달 24일 사장과의 면담에서 강 팀장의 직장 내 괴롭힘을 신고하려고 하니 절차대로 진행해 달라고 했다. 또 직장 내 괴롭힘으로 인한 정신질환은 산재에 해당한다면서 유급 휴직을 요청했다. 증거로는 강 팀장이 보낸 이메일과 정신과 진단서를 제출했다. 이에 대해 사장은 김 씨에게 "피해망상증 같다", "네가 정상이 아니지 않느냐?"는 발언을 반복해서 했다. 또 "놀고먹는 직원에게 돈을 주는 회사는 없다. 유급휴가를 주는 회사를 찾아가라"고 했다.
김 씨는 같은 달 10월 31일 강 팀장과 관련된 진술서를 추가로 회사에 제출했다. 사장은 관련 참고인들을 불러 조사를 했다. 김 씨는 강 팀장으로부터 사과받고 재발을 방지하는 정도에서 괴롭힘 사건을 회사 내에서 조용히 해결하기를 바랐다. 그러나 사장이 직장 내 괴롭힘을 조사한다면서 직원들을 소환하자 사무실 내 모두에게 소문이 퍼졌다. 소환당했던 직원들이 김 씨를 대하는 태도가 불편해지자 김 씨는 더 이상 회사를 다니기 어려운 상황까지 이르게 됐다.
2022년 11월 17일 김 씨는 2개월 무급휴직을 신청했고, 그다음 날 휴직이 승인됐다.
III. 정신질병의 업무관련성 관련 법·판례·지침 기준
1. 산재보험법의 정신질병에 대한 인정기준
2019년 7월 16일 직장 내 괴롭힘 방지법이 근로기준법 개정(제76조의 2)에 따라 도입되면서, 산재보상법에서도 "직장 내 괴롭힘, 고객의 폭언 등 업무상 정신적 스트레스가 원인이 돼 발생한 질병"을 산업재해로 인정하게 됐다.
정신질환에 대한 구체적 기준으로는 시행령 별표3에 (바)업무와 관련해 정신적 충격을 유발할 수 있는 사건에 의해 발생한 외상 후 스트레스장애, (사)업무와 관련해 고객 등으로부터 폭력 또는 폭언 등 정신적 충격을 유발할 수 있는 사건 또는 이와 직접 관련된 스트레스로 인해 발생한 적응장애 또는 우울병 에피소드를 기술하고 있다.
2. 관련 판례
직장 내 괴롭힘 스트레스로 인해 생긴 적응장애는 업무상 질병에 해당된다는 판결에서 인용한 기준판례는 다음과 같다. "산업재해보상보험법 제5조 제1호에 정한 업무상 재해라고 함은 근로자의 업무수행 중 그 업무에 기인해 발생한 질병을 의미하는 것이므로 업무와 질병 사이에 상당인과관계가 있어야 한다. 그러나 (i)질병의 주된 발생 원인이 업무수행과 직접적인 관계가 없더라도 적어도 업무상의 과로나 스트레스가 질병의 주된 발생 원인에 겹쳐서 질병을 유발 또는 악화시켰다면 그사이에 인과관계가 있다고 보아야 한다. (ii)그 인과관계는 반드시 의학적, 자연과학적으로 명백히 증명해야 하는 것은 아니고 제반 사정을 고려할 때 업무와 질병 사이에 상당인과관계가 있다고 추단되는 경우에도 그 증명이 있다고 봐야 한다. (iii)업무와 질병과의 인과관계의 유무는 보통 평균인이 아니라 당해 근로자의 건강과 신체조건을 기준으로 판단해야 한다."
3. 정신질병의 대상
업무상 정신질병은 선천적 신체의 장애로 인해 발생하는 질병은 해당되지 않고, 업무와 관련된 심리적 스트레스와 관련이 있는 정신질병을 대상으로 한다. 직장 내 괴롭힘과 관련된 대표적 정신질병으로 (i)우울에피소드(우울증), (ii)불안장애, (iii)적응장애 등이 있다.
① 우울증의 증상은 의욕저하와 우울감이 주요 증상으로 나타난다. 우울증이 있는 근로자는 집중력이 감소하고 피로감이 증가하며 사고율, 결근율 등이 증가하여 업무 효율에 영향을 준다. 이러한 우울증은 근로자의 사회적 행동에 손상을 보여, 대화에 덜 참여하고, 다른 사람과 협력하는 마음이 적어져 대인관계에 영향을 주게 되며, 우울증으로 인한 자살에 이르기도 한다.
② 불안장애는 다양한 형태의 비정상적, 병적인 불안과 공포로 인하여 일상 생활에 장애를 일으키는 정신질병을 말한다. 불안장애에 해당하는 질병으로는 공황장애, 각종 공포증(고소 공포증, 광장 공포증, 사회 공포증 등)이 있다. 공황장애는 호흡곤란, 휘청거리는 느낌, 발한, 질식감 등의 신체증상을 가지고 있다. 특히, 죽을 것 같은 혹은 미칠 것 같은 느낌의 인지적 증상이 '공황발작'의 특징이다.
③ 적응장애는 동반하는 주요 증상의 양상에 따라 불안장애 또는 우울증 등으로 진단이 가능하다. 특징은 인식 가능한 스트레스 요인에 대한 반응으로 감정적 또는 행동적으로 증상이 존재하는 적응장애이다. 적응장애는 확인 가능한 스트레스 요인이 시작된 후 3개월 이내에 나타나고, 스트레스 요인이 해소되면 6개월 이상 지속되지 않는 특징이 있다. 적응장애는 정신과에서 흔하게 사용하는 진단 중 하나로 다른 정신질환의 진단기준에 미치지 못하는 경우에 진단하는 경향이 있다.
A Workplace Harassment Case and its Requirements for Industrial Accident Recognition
I. Introduction
The most common consequences of bullying at work are mental illness such as depression, anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders. As these mental disorders worsen, they are diagnosed by a psychiatrist, and when such mental disorders are recognized as having a significant causal relationship during work, they can be recognized as industrial accidents and receive medical care benefits and suspension benefits under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACI Act). In order to be recognized as an industrial accident, the mental disorders must be a condition recognized under the IACI Act, and the worker must prove that the condition occurred as a result of work. In fact, it is difficult to prove this, so it is necessary to be recognized as a work-related accident by two methods: (i) the company recognized it as workplace harassment, or (ii) the investigation of the labor office determines the condition to be caused by the process of employment at the workplace. However, it is not easy for a victim who has received a psychiatric condition to be recognized as workplace bullying by the company, and it takes a considerable amount of time to be recognized as workplace bullying through the Labor Office. Recently, the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Corporation has significantly revised the 'Guidelines for Investigation of Work Relevance of Mental Disorders' related to bullying at work, suggesting a detailed investigation method for mental condition caused by bullying. The following describes a case in which a female employee developed a mental condition due to bullying by her workplace superior. In this case, I would like to review in detail the requirements for the victim worker's mental illness due to workplace bullying to be recognized as an industrial accident.
II. A Case of Mental Illness caused by Workplace Bullying
1. Workplace bullying
EJ (hereinafter referred to as "E") joined company A with about 100 employees on May 25, 2020, and was in charge of mechanical design in the machine team, and the team leader was a foreigner. The perpetrator was DK (hereinafter referred to as "Manager K"), the head of the sales development team, who was intentionally involved in E's work and constantly harassed her, even though he was not in a direct department of the company with her. The first harassment started on November 10, 2021. Manager K called E at 08:54 before work started and asked, "Where are you?" She said that she was on the 1st floor. He said, "Why are you there at this time?" He shook with his finger at her and said, "Don't leave the seat empty." She actually went out to buy her coffee and was with several co-workers, but he scolded her only.
The second was on December 23, 2021, and a few employees on the same floor as E worked overtime and had to eat dinner, but Manager K ordered a late-night meal for all employees excluding E, saying, "E will not eat." And a few days later, E was about to finish her job and was about to leave, but Manager K shouted to the managing director next to her, "Who wants to work overtime in this the busiest time? Who are those leaving at this early time?" E did not respond to this, but his remarks has remained to her with negative impression for a long time.
The third time was on January 5, 2022, and I was talking to Section Chief J of the Electricity Team, but Manager K interrupted and said, "Chief J, do you have any work for E?" E felt uncomfortable about Manager K trying to instruct E on tasks even though he was not a senior in her department.
The fourth time was on May 23, 2022, and E heard that Manager K called E's team leader and asked, "This is urgent, but does E work overtime?" It felt very uncomfortable when the team leader of another department ordered E to work overtime.
The fifth was on July 20, 2022, and E made a purchase request without a quotation. Regarding this, Manager K called E and said, "Where did the purchase order come from? If we buy with that amount, why do we get - such a poor purchase? Will you be responsible, E? Don't handle it on your own, ask your superiors first and then do it." Manager K verbally mocked and rebuked her. After a while, E sent another email to Manager K saying, 'I checked the quotation and requested a purchase again.' Then, Manager K sent group email to all employees who were not related to this case, in the departments of Technical Sales, Electrical Management, and Machine, mentioning that E shall not make the same mistake while greatly exaggerating her working mistake. It would have been enough if Manager K scolded her over the phone, but he did an act of humiliating and embarrassing E in front of all employees by e-mail. Because of this, E was in a lot of uncomfortable situations while working with employees in other departments, and she was under a lot of stress.
2. Company's poor investigation and secondary damage
After the email incident on July 20, 2022, E suffered extreme mental pain, and internally, more work assignments rushed to E. On October 20, 2022, E had severe mental and physical pain, so it was difficult to endure any longer, so she consulted a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, a kind of mental condition. The diagnosis stated that recuperation for the next three months was required. E applied for paid leave with a written opinion from a psychiatrist to the president of the company as there was no head of the human resources department at the company. In a meeting with the president of the company on October 24, 2022, she asked to proceed according to the procedure as her mental illness was due to Manager K's workplace harassment. She also requested a leave of absence with pay, as this case constituted an industrial accident. Regarding this, the president of the company asked her to bring evidence, and so she submitted the email document that she received from Manager K and a psychiatric diagnosis as evidence. Regarding this, the president told E, "It's like paranoia." He repeatedly said, "Are you not normal?" When E asked, "Shouldn't it be paid leave because (leave) is due to bullying at work?" The president of the company said, "Go find a company that gives you paid vacation for such case."
After the meeting with the president of the company, E submitted an additional statement related to Manager M on October 31, 2022. In response, the president called in the relevant witnesses to investigate. E hoped that the bullying case would be resolved within the company quietly, without making the problem bigger, and only receiving an apology from Manager K and preventing a recurrence. However, rumors spread to everyone in the office when the president of the company summoned the employees for an investigation, and the summoned employees became uncomfortable with the attitude toward E, and E came to the point where it was difficult to work at the company anymore. She wondered if this was the result of her hard work, and she felt so it was unfair and her efforts to address the situation were futile.
On November 17, 2022, E applied for two months of unpaid leave, and the next day the unpaid leave was approved. E , at this time, is about to file for an industrial accident claim for bullying at work. I would like to review what she needs to consider about this.
III. Mental Disorder-related Occupational Labor Laws, Precedents, and Guidelines
We review the standards of laws and precedents regarding the requirements for bullying to be recognized as an occupational mental disorder.
1. Recognition criteria for mental illness under the IACI Act
On July 16, 2019, as the Workplace Harassment Prevention Act was introduced pursuant to the revision of the Labor Standards Act (Article 76-2), the IACI Act also stipulates that "diseases caused by work-related mental stress, such as bullying at work and verbal abuse by customers," are recognized as an industrial accident.
[1] The specific criteria for mental illness are listed in Table 3 of the Enforcement Decree of the IACI Act, which are "(F) Post-traumatic stress disorder caused by an event that can cause mental shock in relation to work. (g) An incident that may cause psychological shock, such as violence or verbal abuse from customers in relation to work, or an adjustment disorder or depressive episode caused by stress directly related to it."
[2]
2. Related precedents
The Adjustment disorder caused by stress due to workplace bullying constitutes an occupational disease.
[3] This court ruling shows the standard criteria for judging the case as follows. "Occupational accidents, as stipulated in Article 5, Item 1 of the IACI Act, refer to illness caused by work while a worker is performing his or her job, so there must be a substantial causal relationship between work and disease. However, (i) even if the main cause of the disease is not directly related to work performance, at least if work-related overwork or stress overlaps with the main cause of the disease and causes or aggravates the disease, it must be seen that there is a causal relationship between them. (ii) The causal relationship does not necessarily have to be clearly proved medically or scientifically, and considering all circumstances, even if it is presumed that there is a substantial causal relationship between the work and the disease, the proof must be admitted as verified. (iii) The presence or absence of a causal relationship between work and disease shall be judged based on the health and physical condition of the worker concerned, not the average person."
[4]
3. Types of mental illness
Occupational mental illness does not apply to diseases caused by congenital physical disorders, but refers to mental condition related to work-related psychological stress. Representative mental conditions related to workplace bullying include (i) depressive episode (depression), (ii) anxiety disorder, and (iii) adjustment disorder.
[5]
① The symptoms of depression appear as the main symptoms of low motivation and depression. Workers with depression have reduced concentration, increased fatigue, and increased accident and absenteeism rates, which affects work efficiency. These depressions show impairment in workers' social behavior, making them less likely to participate in conversations and less cooperative with others, affecting interpersonal relationships and even leading to suicide due to depression.
② Anxiety disorder refers to a mental disorder that interferes with daily life due to various forms of abnormal or pathological anxiety and fear. Anxiety disorders include panic disorder and various phobias (fear of heights, agoraphobia, social phobia, etc.). Panic disorder has physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, a feeling of staggering, sweating, and choking. In particular, cognitive symptoms of feeling like dying or going crazy are characteristic of 'panic attacks'.
③ Adjustment disorder can be diagnosed as anxiety disorder or depression depending on the pattern of accompanying major symptoms. It is characterized by the presence of symptoms, either emotional or behavioral, in response to a recognizable stressor. Adjustment disorder appears within 3 months of the onset of an identifiable stressor and does not persist for more than 6 months once the stressor is resolved. Adjustment disorder is one of the most commonly used diagnoses in psychiatry, and tends to be diagnosed when it does not meet the diagnostic criteria for other mental disorders.
4. Work-related mental illness investigation procedure (Guideline No. 2021-05)
When the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Corporation (hereby referred to as "the Welfare Corporation") receives an industrial accident application for workplace harassment, it determines whether to accept an industrial accident through the following procedure. ① Receipt of medical care benefit application à ② Confirmation of disease/disorders name and clinical psychological test result à ③ Accident investigation à ④ Preparation of accident investigation report à ⑤ Confirmation of medical opinion by a medical doctor of the Welfare Corporation à ⑥ Request for deliberation by the Occupational Disease Judgment Committee
A special note here is that the applicant's treatment in a psychiatric clinic is not enough for the name of the disorder and the results of the clinical psychological test, and a psychiatric diagnosis at the level of the Welfare Corporation's industrial accident hospitals or general hospitals must be submitted. The name of the disease must belong to depression, anxiety disorder, or adjustment disorder to be considered as a mental illness.
In the industrial accidentinvestigation, the circumstances of the accident, work-related matters, confirmation of major work-related stress factors, and evidence must be collected. The circumstances of the accident are confirmed through the statements of the applicant, the applicant's company, and fellow workers. For work-related matters, the workplace overview and daily work stressors should be checked. In particular, it is checked with a checklist with 11 criteria for major work stress factors. Then, for the 11 relevant items, the answers to each questionnaire are described in detail according to the principle of 6Ws. The contents are as follows. ① Assess the severity of work-related accidents, ② Assess the severity of verbal abuse-violence-sexual harassment, ③ Assess the severity of changes in the quantity and quality of work, ④ Assess the severity of work mistakes-responsibility, ⑤ Assess the severity of complaints-conflicts with customers, ⑥ Assess the severity of conflicts with the company, ⑦ Assess the severity of placement change, ⑧ Assess the severity of conflicts in the workplace, ⑨ Assess the severity of mal-adjustment to work, ⑩ Assess the viewpoints of bullying and discrimination, and ⑪ Assess the severity of other work-related stressors.
VI. Conclusion
In order for E, mentioned above, to be recognized as an industrial accident, it is necessary to prepare according to the 'Guidelines for Investigation of Work-related Mental Illness' of the Welfare Corporation. First, a diagnosis of mental illness must be newly issued at the general hospital level. Second, it is necessary to have a specific description of bullying in the workplace according to the principle of 6Ws. In particular, in this case, the company's inappropriate investigation into the report of workplace harassment and the resulting secondary damage must be described in detail. This made her mental illness worse and made it difficult for her to continue working, so he had to explain why he had no choice but to take a leave of absence. In this way, if it is proved that her mental illness occurred from bullying at work and that it was further aggravated by this, it will be recognized as an industrial accident.
The workplace not only provides a means of livelihood to workers, but is also an important place where workers spend most of their time. Workers form interpersonal relationships through work life and achieve self-realization through personal growth. In such an important place, workplace bullying in these workplaces is not only an act of violating workers' personal rights, but also causes various mental disorders to workers. Therefore, the employer must take necessary measures to ensure a safe environment for workers in accordance with the principle of good faith accompanying the labor contract, and bear in mind that in case of violation, criminal
[6] and civil
[7] responsibilities will be incurred due to the violation of the duty to protect workers.
