Harrasment and bullying

Bullying & Harassment

Employment law provides protection for employees who are harassed or bullied at work.

Feeling safe in the workplace is of paramount importance for your well-being, morale and performance. In some cases the perpetrator of the harassment or bullying may not intend to offend or upset, but the law can help you.

Any concerns you have should be raised through the policies your employer has in place, and if there are none, then you must go through the formal route and raise a grievance.

We have years of employment law experience acting for and representing employees in all types of bullying, harassment and discrimination claims in the Employment Tribunal. Some of our cases have been reported in the national and local press and on television, others have established Employment Law precedent . Our principal has written a book on the subject. A Practical Guide to the Law of Harassment in the Workplace.

We can provide you with support and advice on how your employers should manage any grievance you raise. Our employment solicitors are responsive, sympathetic, pragmatic, and experts in their field.

If you wish to discuss your concerns and how best to proceed, contact our employment solicitors and expert legal team on 01780 757 589, request a call-back or complete our quick online enquiry form.

Our Experts

Phil Hyland

PARTNER, SOLICITOR

Liam Pike

PARTNER, SOLICITOR

Joe Hyland

PARTNER, SOLICITOR

What is Bullying & Harassment?

Employers have a duty of care to ensure your workplace is safe environment, contact us now, if any bullying or harassment has left you feeling unsafe or unwell.

What is bullying?

It is abusive, scary, cruel, humiliating or insulting behaviour towards an individual by another person. Sometimes it can be all of these, and it happens through no fault or reason of the employee. Bullying occurs all too often in the workplace and is when someone uses or abuses their power to undermine, humiliate or injure another person. It can be very damaging for the victim. Employers have a duty to ensure your workplace is safe. Allowing bullying to take place breaches your right to work in a safe environment,

Bullying examples:

Aggressive behaviour or singling someone out for unfair criticism
Excluding, victimising or deliberately undermining someone
Spreading rumours or confidential/sensitive information about someone
Insults or offensive behaviour toward a colleague’s appearance or lifestyle
Creating a hostile, degrading, humiliating or intimidating environment for an individual
Spreading rumours or confidential/sensitive information about someone
Deliberately undermining a competent worker by criticism

What is harassment?

Harassment in the workplace can take many forms and is different from bullying; although the two are often confused. It is when someone’s unwanted conduct or actions relate to the personal (or ‘protected’) characteristics of another person, for example, their age, disability, gender, race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

Harassment has the purpose or effect of turning your working environment into one that is hostile, offensive and degrading for you as an individual or as part of a group of people.

There are three types of harassment:

Unwanted conduct based on a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating your dignity and or making your workplace hostile or offensive degrading and or humiliating.
It is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.
It is unfair treatment based on rejecting sexual harassment.

Examples of harassment:

Unwanted physical contact based on a protected characteristic.
Unwanted derogatory comments based on a protected characteristic – e.g. racist or sexist remarks, nude calendars in the workplace or as a screensaver.
Being ignored and excluded because of a protected characteristic.
Unwanted sexual advances.

If you wish to discuss your concerns and how best to proceed, contact our legal team on 01780 757589, request a call-back or complete our quick online enquiry form.