most common forms of workplace harassment
Workplace harassment is a common and often insidious problem. When it goes unaddressed, it can damage employee morale and create a hostile working environment. As a result, it’s essential that all managers and employees understand what constitutes workplace harassment in order to prevent it. The most common forms of workplace harassment include quid pro quo, verbal, and visual harassment.
Quid pro quo is when an individual in a position of authority trades sexual favors for job benefits or career advancement opportunities. For example, a supervisor who brushes up against a subordinate in the name of team building or male bonding would be guilty of quid pro quo harassment if it were for sexual purposes. Another form of this type of harassment is blackmail, when someone threatens to report an offense to HR unless the offender performs a specific favor.
Verbal workplace harassment lawyer can take many forms, such as offensive slurs, demeaning jokes, and unwanted taunting. It’s important to note that verbal harassment can also be subtle and difficult to spot. For instance, an offending coworker may make hurtful or unwarranted comments about an employee’s body – such as fat-shaming – that could be considered verbal harassment.
What are the most common forms of workplace harassment?
A more subtle form of harassment is psychological. It can include tactics such as intimidating the victim, taking credit for a colleague’s achievement, constantly imposing unreasonable deadlines on an employee or forcing them to perform tasks outside their scope, and so on. This type of harassment can be particularly damaging to victims, as it can cause them to experience low self-esteem and undermine their mental well-being.
Other types of workplace harassment help include racial, religious, and disability-based. Racial harassment can include a person making unwanted or offensive comments about an employee’s ethnicity, national origin, or religion. Religious harassment narrowly targets an individual’s religious beliefs and can be expressed in various ways. Disability-based harassment, meanwhile, encompasses various disabilities and can include harmful teasing or mockery as well as refusing to reasonably accommodate an individual’s needs.
Finally, retaliatory harassment is a form of workplace harassment that can be difficult to detect. It can occur when a supervisor harasses an employee in retaliation for filing a discrimination complaint, taking leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or participating in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation.
When it comes to avoiding workplace harassment, the most important thing is to have a clearly defined policy that all employees can understand and agree to. It’s also essential to be vigilant and look out for any signs of harassment, especially when it comes to the latest trends such as digital and social media bullying.
Fortunately, it’s not hard to implement a workplace harassment policy. It just requires a bit of thought and preparation, which can be done through an employee handbook. To get started, you can check out our free template for creating a workplace harassment policy. You can then make sure all of your employees are up to date on the policy by testing their knowledge with our free quiz on workplace harassment laws.