Everyone has the right to come to work and feel safe in the environment they’re in. Bullying and harassment are unacceptable and unwelcome forms of behaviour, which are counterproductive to a happy and healthy working environment.
As an employer, you should never tolerate this. However, it can be difficult to spot the signs of both in your company. Especially if the subject of the abuse is too afraid to speak out. Therefore, it’s important to make yourself aware of the signs to look out for, so you can act in the best interests of your employees. Below we explore how to spot what harassment and bullying might look like in your company; read on to find out more.
What is harassment and bullying?
While the most obvious forms of abuse are physical and sexual, the most common types of harassment are verbal and psychological. As such, harassment and bullying in the workplace may not include tangible evidence.
When it occurs, the victim can be left in a confusing and uncomfortable position. Often, the grey areas surrounding verbal and psychological abuse prevent anyone from ever addressing the matter. To be able to spot even the vaguest types of this behaviour, you must be certain on what constitutes this behaviour. Then, you can address any problems quickly and thoroughly. To help you out, we’ve created a list of all the signs to look out for below.
Psychological
Psychological abuse is one of the most commonplace forms of harassment and bullying; but perhaps also the most difficult to spot. The lack of evidence from psychological bullying is the very reason why the bully can get away with their crime.
It’s similar to verbal intimidation; but often consists of subtle tactics which intend to undermine the victim and make them question whether they even have a cause to complain. An everyday method of psychological bullying is ‘gaslighting’. This term refers to people that manipulate others psychologically to make them doubt their own perception of reality. This might include:
- Exclusion or victimisation
- Micromanaging or other misuse of power
- Deliberately undermining a competent colleague with constant criticism
- Unfair treatment
- Preventing the progression of someone’s career by blocking promotion or training opportunities
- Physical
- Although physical harassment is easier to spot than psychological, it can vary drastically. From sitting too close to an employee, to damaging their property or threatening violence; the physical side can still be hard to identify.
Especially if the bully doesn’t follow through on their threats. They may even try to downplay their actions. Alternatively, the victim may not have the physical evidence to prove the dispute; if their property has been stolen for example.
What’s important to remember is that physical harassment should be judged from the point of view of the victim. So, no matter the outcome or severity, if they’re being made to feel uncomfortable then it should be considered physical abuse.
Sexual
Sexual harassment is similar to physical harassment. It has recently been given attention in the media, following the rise of the #MeToo movement. This hashtag on social media aims to spread awareness of the of the widespread prevalence of this, especially in the workplace.
A person of any gender can be the instigator or victim of sexual harassment. This includes unwanted sexual advances, jokes, touching, or sharing unwanted messages of an inappropriate nature. Although the signs may seem clear, spotting them isn’t always straightforward.
Especially if the offender is in a more senior position, masking any sexual advances as ‘banter’ can turn the blame on the victim for ‘overreacting’. As a result, some victims are concerned about the repercussions of reporting the harassment.
It’s vital that this ‘grey area’ is identified. If an employee is made to feel like they’re working in a hostile environment, they have every right to report it.
Digital
With the advancement of technology and social media in the workplace, cyber-bullying is on the rise. This might include posting threats or demeaning comments on social platforms.
Unfortunately, social media provides an outlet for keyboard warriors. The protection of being behind a screen makes it easier to bully others without direct repercussions. This extends to email, as employees may also send inappropriate content around the office with the purpose of humiliating their victim. However, digital bullying is also easier to spot. You can monitor the situation by accessing employee emails or asking the victim to keep track of everything they view online which they feel is harassment.
Verbal
Verbal harassment might originally result from personality conflicts in the workplace. A clash could begin with minor disagreements but escalate to something more serious. An ongoing dispute incurring insults, slurs, hurtful comments and yelling is certainly harassment.
The trouble with verbal bullying and harassment is that an individual may defend their behaviour as a personality trait rather than negative behaviour. Even if such behaviour is resulting in depression, anxiety, fear and stress for the victim.
While opposing personality traits may cause conflict, they should not cause intense emotional pain. Therefore, you should keep a watchful eye over continuing disputes in the office; no matter how minor they appear.
Can you spot harassment and bullying in your company?
If you know how to spot harassment and bullying in your company, you’re one step closer to preventing it. As we’ve demonstrated, it takes on many forms which may or may not be obvious. When you know what to look out for, however, you’ll start to get better at recognising the signs.
What’s more, it’s your responsibility to help staff to cope with this stressful situation. Employees may react by becoming scared and demotivated. The overall effects of stress and loss of self-esteem will inevitably result in reduced job satisfaction and increased illness, absence and even staff leaving your business.
Every case will have detrimental effects upon your company. So, it’s crucial that you’re able to improve relations in your workplace. Hopefully, this guide will have enlightened you on how to make your company a safe place to be.
