Learning About Employment Harassment and When to Seek a Labor Attorney

Offensive conduct in the workplace is one of the biggest problems people face every single day. People have dared to discuss workplace situations since the “MeToo” movement entered the scene. Still, most people are skeptical about talking about it and even reporting problematic behaviors of managers and other colleagues.

Remember that harassment is not a myth or revenge for lousy employees. It is a common problem, but we neglect it until it reaches boiling. Harassment at work leads to both abusive and toxic companies. Numerous people are not sure whether something is harassment or just a more direct approach to solving a common problem.

According to a professional employment attorney, most cases go unreported or unnoticed. The main idea is to get familiar with and understand more about this situation, the types we can differentiate, and the reporting process that will help you protect yourself against a toxic environment and harassment.

Most people have experienced a hostile environment at some point. That is why people decide to quit and choose other organizations instead. However, the question is, why does this happen? There is a thin line between being bothered by someone’s discipline and undergoing harassment while on the job.

The crucial aspect of the success of any organization is to think about the most valuable resources or employees. An uncomfortable and disturbing working environment directly affects productivity, your reputation in the business world, and employee retention.

That is why you should find ways to maintain the situation among your employees. You can implement zero tolerance towards any potential issue, an essential factor that will help you boost your business and take it to the next level. The best way to understand the idea is to stay with us for additional info. Let us start from the beginning.

What is Workplace Harassment?

According to a definition, harassment happens when a group of employees or individuals feels belittled or threatened by colleagues. The primary purpose is to ensure that the victim feels uncomfortable and unsafe, meaning the process is not about work but personal perspective.

Generally, it is the process that uses various aspects, including demonstrating infringement and segregation to a specific group, for example. At the same time, it tends to happen when someone decides to target a particular group of individuals, such as sexual minorities, racial minorities, people with disabilities, immigrants, and women.

Of course, it can work in both directions, but generally, it requires context, meaning it is challenging to define it precisely without neglecting some of its aspects. We recommend you click here to learn more about workplace issues that may happen.

Different Types of Workplace Harassment

It is crucial to understand that it may not feature physical evidence since everything depends on a specific situation. According to the EEOC, harassment may feature direct bullying, which is something we are familiar with. However, it can be masked in offensive slurs, jokes, and ridicule.

When it reaches the point of direct intimidation, insults, and physical assaults, we have entered its final stages that are common and transparent to both victims and other employees. As you can see, it can be physical or verbal, incorporating both aspects in most situations.

We can also differentiate emotional, psychological, and sexual. In further article, we will talk about the essential types of workplace harassment.

1. Verbal

If you are a victim of verbal harassment, you will continually face battles while working that will directly threaten your career and mental health. We are talking about offensive gestures, demanding slurs, and criticism without anything positive to help you be more productive than before.

You probably understand that verbal intimidation in the workplace does not take the form of violence. Check out this guide: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/workplace-bullying-a-form_b_14584766 to understand workplace bullying.

But it may include insults such as shaming jokes, taunting, and comments that may hurt you, meaning it is challenging to recognize this problem. Since it lies in a gray area, managers must be as vigilant as possible because there is no direct intimidation.

2. Psychological

You should know that psychological harassment is verbal, but it takes a different form because it is not as direct as the previous one. Instead, it is not in your face but more covert, using tactics such as withholding relevant information. Victims are more likely to experience low self-esteem and mental breakdowns.

As a result, people tend to undermine themselves throughout the process, which is vital to remember. You should know that psychological harassment includes making impossible demands, taking credit for your work, giving you impossible deadlines, and forcing you to work outside your position and far after working hours.

It uses tactics such as manipulation, in which specific managers may lie to you about potential incentives you will get if you do a particular job faster or after hours. That may lead you to overwork yourself, which can lead to severe problems in your mental health.

3. Cyberbullying

In the last decade, digital harassment has become a prominent problem people experience in different ways. We are talking about things such as demeaning comments on social media, posting direct attacks or threats, creating fake profiles, or bullying someone through intimidation.

For instance, the situation includes making a website about the victim or making false allegations online using an anonymous persona. Since most of us have social media profiles based on the idea of free speech, anyone can say anything about everyone. Therefore, someone can make a fake persona and bully you in public.

However, the best thing about digital harassment is the ability to document it through screenshots. Therefore, if someone decides to harass you, that may lead to severe problems. You can easily report these behaviors, offering you peace of mind.

4. Sexual Harassment

By far, the worst problem that can happen in the workplace is sexual harassment, which is more common than we think. At the same time, this offense can happen to anyone, meaning a person of any gender can be a victim. It is crucial to check here to watch the video that will help you identify harassment before it becomes problematic.

You should remember that according to anonymous surveys, more than forty percent of female respondents have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. In comparison, the number of male respondents was twenty percent.

We are talking about sending obscene messages, asking for sexual favors, making demeaning comments with vulgar gestures, and unwanted touching fall under this problem. In most cases, the incidents happen between managers and employees, meaning they are afraid to report it due to the possible job ramifications.