Preventing Workplace Harassment
Abusive Conduct
Occurs when an employee is repeatedly subjected to conduct that, to a reasonable person, has the purpose or effect of being offensive, intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating. Abusive conduct may be referred to as bullying, mobbing, victimisation, or psychological or moral harassment. Examples of abusive conduct can include repeated infliction of verbal abuse, such as the use of derogatory remarks, ridicule, insults, and epithets; verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find offensive, intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating; or sabotaging or undermining a person’s work performance.
Bystander Effect
A phenomenon where people are less likely to object to or report inappropriate conduct when others also witness the same misconduct. The bystander effect is thought to arise, in part, from diffusion of responsibility. Bystander intervention techniques are taught to empower bystanders to intervene.
Bystander Intervention Techniques
Techniques you can use and actions you can take when you witness sexual harassment, other forms of workplace harassment or any inappropriate workplace behaviour. A bystander can intervene directly or indirectly, by, for example, distracting the target or perpetrator of the inappropriate conduct or by reporting the conduct to a supervisor or human resources (HR).
Diffusion of Responsibility
The tendency of a person to feel less responsibility to help or intervene in a given situation when there are others present, because the person assumes that someone else will take action. Social psychology research indicates that diffusion of responsibility increases as the number of bystanders increases.
Protected Characteristics
In most countries, the law protects employees from harassment and discrimination on the basis of certain individual characteristics. These are called protected characteristics and can also be referred to as protected grounds or simply grounds. In many countries, the law defines the following protected characteristics: race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability and age. Other examples of protected characteristics that may apply in certain countries are gender identity, trade union membership, social or economic status, and political opinion or affiliation.
Reporting
Sharing concerns about inappropriate behaviour with a supervisor, HR, another member of management or external government agencies.
Retaliation
Occurs when employers treat applicants, employees, former employees, or people closely associated with these individuals, less favorably for reporting discrimination or participating in a discrimination investigation or lawsuit. Retaliation is sometimes called victimisation or reprisal. In most countries, employees are protected from retaliation for reporting in good faith a concern about harassment or discrimination and testifying, assisting, or participating in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing related to harassment or discrimination.
Sex or Gender Stereotyping
The practice of ascribing to a person specific attributes, characteristics or roles by reason only of the person’s sex or gender. Sex or gender stereotyping includes making assumptions about a person’s appearance or behavior, gender roles, or an ability or inability to perform certain kinds of work based on a myth, social expectation, or generalization about the individual’s sex or gender.
Sex Discrimination
Involves treating an applicant or employee unfavorably because of that person’s sex.
Sexual Harassment
A form of illegal sex discrimination. Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other offensive verbal, visual or physical conduct that is of a sexual nature.
Workplace Harassment
Unwelcome treatment which is related to a protected characteristic and, which, to a reasonable person, has the purpose or effect of violating an employee’s dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive work environment.
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only.
It does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice.