Bullying and harassment means any unwanted behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or degraded or humiliated or offended. It is not necessarily always obvious or apparent to others, so it can happen in the workplace without an employer's awareness.
Bullying or harassment can be between two individuals or it may involve groups of people. It might be obvious or it might be insidious. It is related to age, sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion, belief or sexual orientation and may be persistent or an isolated incident. It can also occur in written communications, by phone, email not just face-to-face actions.
People do not always feel able or confident enough to complain, particularly if the harasser is a manager or senior executive. Sometimes they will simply resign. It is therefore very important for employers to ensure that staff are aware of options available to them to deal with potential bullying or harassment, and that these remain confidential.
Did you know?
Acas run practical training courses to equip managers, supervisors and HR professionals with the necessary skills to deal with employment relations issues and to create more productive workplace environments.
Click to view related Acas training and course dates in your area for:
Bullying and harrassment
Improving skills for supervisors
Managing absence
Stress in the workplace
Having difficult conversations
The information on this page is correct but is under review due to the Equality Act 2010 coming into effect October 2010.
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