What is harassment?

Harassment can be defined as unwanted conduct that violates people’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Staff wellbeing is a matter of mutual interest to employers, managers, trade unions and the workforce. To this end there should be a number of policies and procedures in place that:

• integrate in a considered and planned way the approach to management to concerns around bullying and harassment, violence and stress
• define and recognise bullying and harassment
• identify work organisation and staffing issues that contribute to workplace bullying and harassment
• understand how employment law principles and health and safety legislation apply to workplace bullying and harassment
• make employers and staff aware of what they can do to recognise and eliminate workplace bullying and harassment
• develop a workplace strategy to inform persons about what to do if staff witness or suffer bullying and harassment
• develop workplace policies on bullying and harassment, violence, harassment and stress at work in the light of new cases
• understand that bullying and harassment affects everyone and can be seen in a wider context beyond that of a health and safety issue.

Read more about bullying and harassment in this guide for reps.