Bullying and Harassment at Work

Bullying and Harassment at Work: A Guide for Employers & HR Managers

Bullying and harassment in the workplace remains a major problem, despite all the seminars and anti-bullying training that employees attend. Therefore, it is crucial for employers and human resources managers to be aware of the types of bullying that can occur and how to handle such situations.

The most important facts

• Bullying can start as unwanted behavior and escalate into harassment

• Sexual harassment, racism, ageism, slander and social pressure are the most common forms of harassment.

• Harassment is illegal and employees may be subject to criminal prosecution.

What is workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying is behavior that can be classified as any type of unwanted behavior. Bullying is generally considered less serious than harassment, but bullying can very easily cross the line and turn into harassing behavior.

In the workplace, an employee can be bullied by any other person in the workplace, regardless of their status, although it is most common for a supervisor to bully a person under him. This can cause engagement to suffer and turnover to increase.

Examples of workplace bullying

Repeated use of offensive or derogatory language

Who determines what actually counts as offensive or derogatory language? In different communities and countries, words are perceived as offensive to varying degrees.

While there is no one-size-fits-all rule, HR should be aware of what their employees find offensive, especially in international companies. By setting concrete and transparent guidelines, HR managers can easily prevent misunderstandings.

Anger and aggression towards employees

An employee’s mistake or missed deadline is not a reason to be hostile or violent. There are so many ways you can react when you’re upset. Aggression in the workplace is a no-go.

It is important for HR to know that aggressive behavior should be stopped immediately so that it does not affect the rest of the team.

Unwanted physical contact

Hands off is the number one rule in the workplace. A simple hug or pat on the back could be misunderstood, especially if the person in question is of the opposite gender.

Unwanted banter with an employee

Inappropriate humor is often not considered when it comes to harassment. Great office pranks like hiding documents or putting funny post-its on your back are considered harassment if the reaction they provoke is rather negative.

Repeatedly blaming an employee for problems for which they were not responsible

There are different types of managers and employees. Sometimes there are people who tend to blame others for problems instead of trying to solve them. If blaming others is repeated, it can degenerate into bullying.

Unnecessary and repeated interruptions to someone’s workflow

The most common source of stress in the workplace is when employees’ routines are repeatedly interrupted without good reason, a study has shown. Therefore, this must be considered harassment.

Spreading rumors or talking badly about an employee behind their back

Everyone knows that gossip is not good for a team, but not everyone knows that it can lead to anxiety or even depression. There is a subtle difference between simple badmouthing and persistent slander, which is punishable by law.

What is workplace harassment?

Workplace harassment is defined as the creation of an offensive, hostile or humiliating work environment for an individual. The main difference between bullying and harassment is that bullying is sometimes a misunderstanding and a problem that can be solved, while harassment is intentional, targeted and criminal.

In short, workplace harassment is illegal and can be prosecuted if the harassed employee decides to report it.

Types of harassment

• Sexual harassment: unwanted sexual advances or requests to engage in sexual acts.

• Racism: Poor treatment of employees based on their race, color or ethnic origin

• Age discrimination: Creating a hostile work environment for older or younger employees.

• Defamation: Spreading misinformation about another employee.

• Pressure: Joining a religious or political group.

Responsibilities of employers and employees

To adequately address bullying and harassment in the workplace, both employers and employees must work together and communicate their needs and goals.

Employees must report

In order for employers and HR teams to be aware of a bullying or harassment issue, they must be informed. There are many cases where the bullied or harassed employee is too afraid to speak up for themselves, so it’s important to teach your team to stand up for each other and report any issues they observe.

Employers must act

Bullying and harassment in the workplace will never be solved unless the employer and human resources department work hard to eliminate the problems. Every report must be taken seriously and investigated. New policies may need to be implemented, employees may need to be transferred or laid off.

Workplace harassment and UK law

In the Equality Act 2010, the UK defines workplace harassment as “unwelcome conduct relating to a relevant protected characteristic which has the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, degrading or offensive environment for that person.” becomes”.

The UK government holds employers responsible for workplace harassment, regardless of whether the harassment comes from an employee or a third party, e.g. B. a customer of the company.

These harassment laws specifically protect individuals from being discriminated against based on their age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, personal beliefs, gender, and sexual orientation.

Dealing with complaints

There are many ways to address a bullying or harassment incident, and each situation requires its own plan of action. It is important to investigate each case thoroughly and do what is best under the circumstances.

• Encourage whistleblowing to make your work environment a safe place to disclose misconduct.

Your employees should know that they are protected by the law and by their managers. Good communication is the key to solving any problem.

• Take every report very seriously.

The decision to file a sexual harassment complaint is difficult enough and is usually made after careful and thorough consideration.

• Be prepared for disciplinary action.

Employees have rights and can contact the police directly or ask you to do so. It is your duty to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the potential harasser. There should be no doubt that the claims are justified, so you need to dig into them and gather all the necessary information.

• Education

By explaining what harassment and bullying means, leaders can prevent it. Speaking publicly about this issue also sends a strong message. No one should feel harassed, frightened or threatened in the workplace, and anyone who disrespects their colleagues will face consequences.

FAQ

What is the most common workplace harassment?

Any form of discrimination is the most common form of harassment. This discrimination may be based on age, disability, gender identity, race, religious belief, sex or sexual orientation.

What is an example of harassment?

There are many examples of harassment, such as: Aggression and anger towards employees, offensive statements, unwanted physical contact, etc.

What are the 3 forms of harassment?

Verbal, visual and physical harassment are the three forms of sexual harassment. This could include sexual comments or questions, showing something sexual to an employee, or touching an employee inappropriately.

How does HR handle harassment?

Human resources departments should take every case of harassment seriously. That starts with encouraging employees to report incidents of harassment, take them seriously, and create a disciplinary action plan. For more information, see the “Handling Complaints” section.