Harassment is quite different from bullying, and is generally described as unwanted conduct which affects the dignity of employees in the workplace and may be connected to sex, disability, race, age, religion, sexual orientation or any personal characteristic of the individual.
Bullying refers to unwanted conduct which isn’t related to gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion of the individual but more often focused on the alleged lack of competence of the bullied person.
It is important to remember that harassment does not always take place face to face, it can occur by e-mail, during phone calls and by unfair micromanagement. As with any grievance it is important to take employee’s concerns seriously, as if left, it will not only increase your chances of a receiving a claim, but may also have an adverse impact on the work environment, resulting in; high staff turnover, absenteeism, poor productivity, loss of morale, poor performance and of course increased stress levels.
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