How Do You Recognize and Report Workplace Harassment?
Harassment at work happens often, but many people cannot prove it. Many people who have been harassed at their workplace cannot report it since the harassment leaves them uncomfortable and comes with the fear of being fired, especially if the perpetrator holds a higher position. Most harassments are psychological and verbal, but there are severe harassment cases. If you face any of these forms of harassment mentioned below, you need to know the steps to take. One of the important ones is getting Hayber, McKenna, & Dinsmore to advocate for your rights. Here are forms of workplace harassment.
Psychological Harassment
Psychological harassment involves actions meant to break down the victim mentally. They intend to undermine the person and ruin their self-esteem. Behaviors like making impossible and unreasonable demands or asking a worker to perform demeaning tasks outside their scope contribute to psychological harassment. This kind of harassment is hard to prove, and most people ignore it.
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Verbal Harassment
This harassment is more like psychological bullying, only that it includes the addition of offensive gestures and belittling comments. The victim may be directly insulted or given hurtful remarks or jokes. It is also not easy to recognize verbal bullying since it does not involve physical violence. A person who yells or makes unnecessary comments about other people is always seen to have a personality conflict and never as a bully. The victim may thus fall into depression or have issues like anxiety.
Sexual Harassment
This serious form of harassment comes with more dire consequences than you think. Many people, especially women, experience sexual harassment at work but only a few report the incidents. The harassment may include actions such as inappropriate touching, sexual messages, sexual jokes, or sharing pornography. A victim may also be required to exchange sexual favors for promotion. Sexual harassment is always masked as inoffensive comments backed by sexual tones and gestures.
Physical Harassment
This harassment can vary and include inappropriate touching, violence threats, property damage, and physical assault. Because the degree of harassment varies, it might be hard to spot it. Many of these harassments are toned down as jokes if no physical harm is experienced. If a person keeps kicking the victim such that the victim has not been hurt, this may not be termed physical harassment, even in an absolute sense.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying happens online but is not different from in-person harassment. A person may post belittling comments or threats to a person, mainly using a fake account. If you make face allegations about a person and post them online, that is considered cyberbullying. Social media is a popular platform for cyberbullying, such that people are harassing others in the name of freedom of speech. It is easy to prove this form of harassment.
Takeaway!
These are the primary forms of workplace harassment. If you think you are being harassed, it is crucial to report to the HR department. The reason why most people do not report harassment is that they lack physical evidence. However, talk with someone you trust and find an employment law lawyer to help you evaluate if you are being harassed at work.
