Workplace harassment is any type of harassment that occurs in the workplace. It’s a form of harassment that should not be tolerated by any employee or employer. If you believe you’ve been harassed at your place of employment, something should be done about it. Integrating harassment training compliance may also help eliminate future problems.
Unfortunately, sometimes workplace harassment can be difficult to identify. Here are the types of harassment that can occur in a workplace environment and what you can do about it.
There are two main types of sexual harassment in the workplace:
• Quid pro quo sexual harassment: An example of this type of sexual harassment might be if a supervisor harasses a subordinate and attaches conditions. Like, “If you go out on a date with me, I’ll make sure you get that promotion.”
• Hostile work environment sexual harassment: In these instances, the sexual harassment is severe and may be any behavior that makes the work environment extremely uncomfortable and, therefore, difficult to work in.
Sexual harassment is illegal and can include any sexual comments, questions, jokes, or touching.
Intimidation and physical harassment occurs when a supervisor or coworker uses physical violence, blackmail, threats, or verbal abuse to manipulate a person for professional advantage. It can include behaviors like cyber bullying, making belittling or demeaning comments or demands, spreading rumors, or making threats of physical assault.
This type of harassment occurs when someone is harassed because they are a part of a protected class based on their age, gender, disability, race, or religion. Examples of discriminatory harassment can include racial slurs and jokes, hurtful or degrading comments, or being excluded from office events or meetings.
Workplace harassment is a form of discrimination. It’s illegal when it creates a hostile work environment for someone, results in a change in an employee’s salary or status (position), or when someone has to put up with ongoing harassment just to keep their job.
If you or someone else is a victim of workplace harassment, you should alert the employer or HR department immediately. If they refuse to do anything about it, you can hire a lawyer to help you.
Employers who want to avoid the issue of workplace harassment in the first place can be proactive by ensuring harassment training compliance is a part of their hiring and training process for all employees. In doing so, all employees will be familiar with their rights and responsibilities if harassment occurs in the workplace. Additionally, employers who prioritize harassment training compliance will maintain a reputation of integrity and high business ethics.
