Bullying and harassment are unacceptable and unethical forms of unwanted, offensive and malicious behavior against an individual or sometimes a group of individuals. They can cause extreme stress and anxiety for the person being bullied or harassed and can have a detrimental effect on them and their families. Although bullying is not illegal, it is possible, if you are a victim of bullying, to file a claim under bullying laws. Harassment is offensive behavior and unwelcome conduct and can be related to age, race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin. Harassment is illegal behavior and can result in court, often with the payment of a large amount of damages to the victim. Bullying and harassment can take the form of face-to-face conduct, email, letter, phone or text message. It may be an isolated incident or an ongoing episode of unacceptable and offensive behavior towards an individual or group of individuals.

effect on the victim.

We all know that bullying and harassment, in any walk of life, is unacceptable, and yet we’ve all heard of it happening, whether it’s in the schoolyard, at home, or in the workplace. . A person who is being bullied or harassed will feel stressed and anxious, her confidence levels will suffer, she may begin to isolate herself from other people, and her work and family life may begin to suffer. In the workplace, the person being harassed may begin to miss a lot of work, may no longer be able to meet deadlines, and may no longer be able to maintain good relationships with colleagues.

What to do if you are an employee who is being bullied

If you are experiencing bullying or harassment in the workplace, it is a good idea to try to resolve the problem informally in the first instance, by talking to your colleagues and your employer. However, if this does not resolve the problem, the next step would be to file a formal complaint and follow your employer’s complaint procedure. If an employee is forced to resign due to intimidation, he may be able to file a claim for implied dismissal.

What to do if you are an employer.

Employers have a duty of care to employees to ensure their health and safety in the workplace and this includes dealing with bullying and harassment. Bullying and harassment can have an extremely detrimental effect on the health of the victim. The employer must take reasonable steps to prevent the bullying and harassment from continuing. It is in the employer’s best interest to prevent any bullying and/or harassment in the workplace as, in addition to being illegal and unethical, it can have a detrimental effect on staff morale and production, which in turn can affect the general operation of the company. the business. Employers should ensure they have a bullying and harassment policy and make it clear that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated in the workplace and will be taken very seriously.

Summary.

When a person, or a group of people, is bullied, they are subjected to actions or comments that are considered demeaning and unacceptable, and often the bullying is carried out in front of other peers to humiliate the victim. Bullies come across as intimidating and malicious and their bullying and/or harassment will often be work related, but can equally be focused on a non-work related problem. It is important that employers and employees work together to ensure that any bullying or harassment issue is addressed as soon as possible for the good of all involved.

Copyright (c) 2010 Robert Gray