When is there harassment at work?

Harassment at work is a form of psychosocial stress and can occur in various ways. It involves behaviours that occur repeatedly and systematically, making someone feel uncomfortable, anxious, or stressed. 

This behaviour can consist of:

  • Verbal bullying such as insults, humiliating remarks, or constantly criticizing someone.
  • Social exclusion by colleagues or supervisors, such as ignoring someone or excluding them from conversations.
  • Work-related bullying such as intentionally giving unrealistic deadlines, assigning too much work, or taking away responsibility.
  • Intimidation and threats such as physically threatening behaviour, or inciting fear through unjustified criticism or threats.

Consequences of harassment at work

Bullying in the workplace can have serious consequences, both for the bullied employee who may experience physical and/or mental health problems and for the organisation as a whole.

Possible consequences for the victim:

  • Burnout, depression, anxiety disorders, physical complaints (such as sleep problems, headaches and digestive problems), reduced motivation and absenteeism.

Possible consequences for the organisation:

  • Reduced productivity, increased costs due to absenteeism, a poor working atmosphere and an increased chance of staff turnover. Bullying can also damage the organisation's reputation, both internally and externally.

What can employees do against harassment at work?

If an employee is dealing with harassment at work, he or she can take the following advice to heart:

  1. Talk about it with a colleague or manager

This is an important first step towards a solution, because too often employees are left alone with their story. And they don't dare talk about it because they are ashamed or feel guilty about what is happening to them.  

  1. Consult an internal confidential counsellor

If a direct colleague or manager is not an option, employees can consult the internal confidential counsellor. This person is trained to deal with such situations and can help in finding a solution. A confidential counsellor has professional secrecy: what you tell him/her remains confidential.

  1. Contact an external prevention adviser

An employee can also always turn to an external prevention adviser for psychological aspects for targeted advice and mediation. This prevention adviser is also bound by professional secrecy.

  1. List incidents 

If it drags on, it can be useful to list the bullying incidents. Also with a view to any further steps that might be taken.

Support via Premed

At Premed, we offer support to companies and employees in preventing and addressing harassment at work. Our psychosocial prevention advisers are ready to develop a policy, advise or coach your employees, or provide training.

Developing a Policy

The codex on well-being at work pays a lot of attention to preventive measures that must prevent harassment at work. Developing a policy is indispensable here. 

The psychosocial prevention adviser assists the employer, the HR or personnel manager, the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work, the internal prevention adviser or the working group in developing a prevention policy ‘Respect at Work’. 

Employee Support

Premed's prevention advisers can be engaged for informal interventions towards employees, such as offering a listening ear, mediation to reach a reconciliation and/or coaching to guide the affected employee in cases of stress, overwork, and burnout. In addition, you can also approach our psychosocial prevention advisers for a formal procedure.

Training

At Premed, we also provide various preventive training courses, because prevention is better than cure. Bullying behaviour often originates from a minor conflict or a communication disorder. In that respect, training courses on conflict management, communication skills, and giving and receiving feedback can be very useful.

Also an awareness session such as ‘Respect at Work’ can be interesting to make this topic discussable in the workplace. By clearly naming the difference between teasing and bullying, employees can better assess what is and is not (anymore) acceptable today and where the boundaries lie. 

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