Harassment can happen in many forms, it covers conducts of an unpleasant nature. It is generally known to be behaviors that potentially disturb or upset, and in most instances becomes repetitive. However, according to Wikipedia, Workplace harassment is the belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers. It is an unwanted conduct with the purpose of violating the dignity of the victim and humiliates the existence of humans.
This could be in the form of verbal, physical or emotional pestering based on sex, religion, social status, race or any other affiliation that may so exist. It is not only limited to what happens on the job – any such conduct, action or inaction off the work environment can also constitute harassment.
Workplace harassment occurs almost every single minute of the day – it goes unnoticed partly because of the stigmatization associated with it. The victims usually feel ashamed to report such incidences and suffer in silence – maybe for lack of evidence or for the fear of victimization thereafter.
In most instances, workplace harassment does not make the headlines because it does not involve very high profile people and for that reason it looks as if it doesn’t matter. Even in cases where high profile corporate leaders are involved, there is every attempt to suppress the details of the misconduct from getting into the media or the law involved. It’s not only inappropriate and immoral but also an unlawful form of discrimination which brings the ethics of offenders into serious question.
The act of workplace harassment has been around for a very long time and it is so sensitive in nature that people shy away from it. They’re all too common and needs to be tackled once and for all. Harassing conduct may include offensive jokes, slurs, name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule, insults, telephone calls, messaging, social media engagement, offensive pictures, and other behavior. Sexual harassment includes any uninvited comments, conduct, or behavior regarding sex, gender, or sexual orientation etc.
Ninety percent of workplace harassment is never officially reported. But what happens when you want to do something about it? Here are some important tips and guidelines for dealing with the harassment effectively:
Make use of resources: The first step is to check your company’s employee handbook. Your company should have a clause or a desk which deals with this act. There should be a clear procedure to lodge a complaint and provisions made to protect the identity of the victim. If for any reason your organization has no procedure on how to report harassment, resort to the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), section 14, 15, 63 and 175 or the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29) – there are relevant sub-sections that deals with discrimination of any form or shape. A victim can also seek counselling or legal advice and decide whether to file a complaint or not.
Report it: Report any instance of harassment immediately. Your employer must know or have reason to know about the harassment to be legally responsible. Tell your supervisor, someone in human resources, or the person within your organization who is designated to deal with harassment. If there is a policy for employees to follow when reporting harassment, read through it ahead of time and make sure you follow it as closely as possible. Either file your report in writing or, if it is made in a meeting, follow up with a written summary. Keep a copy of any written complaint you make to your employer and anything you receive from them.
Write it down: As soon as you experience any act of harassment, write down exactly what happened. Be as specific as possible, recording dates, places, times, and possible witnesses. When you report, write down whom you reported to, what that person said, and what happened in response. Others may read this written record at some point, so be as accurate and objective as possible. Do not keep the record at work, but at home or in some other safe place where you will have access to it in case something suddenly happens at work and you lose your data or workstation.
Band together with co-workers: If you are not the only employee experiencing harassment, ask co-workers to also write down and report their own incidents. If you’re not comfortable doing that, mention when you report that you believe others have been harassed. Class may not necessarily work because other victims may decide not to pursue the case for reasons best known to them.
Keep your own records: Especially if you’re being harassed by a supervisor, your harasser may try to defend him- or herself by attacking your job performance. Keep copies of any records of your work performance, including performance evaluations and any memos or letters documenting the quality of your work. If you do not have copies, try to gather them (by legitimate means only). If company policy permits, review your personnel file. When you do, either make copies of relevant documents or, if that’s not allowed, take detailed notes. As with your documentation of your harassment, keep everything at home, not at your workplace or on a company computer.
Get witnesses: If you can do so safely, talk to other people at work who may have witnessed your harassment. You may find witnesses, allies, or others who have been harassed by the same person or who would be willing to support your case.
Gather information: Map out the important people and situations to investigate in the initial complaint. Basically, provide the investigating office with everything they need to conduct the investigation, based on current knowledge. If there are pictures, videos and text available, tender them in as evidence but remember to keeps copies of whatever information you give out.
Consider filing with the appropriate state institution: Especially if you’re mistrustful of your organization’s process, you can help ensure your safety and a greater chance of action by filing a charge of discrimination with the Labour Commission or a mandated body by state authorities sanctioned to look into such matters.
Don’t be thrown off: Difficult as it may be, try not to be sidetracked by the harassment issues. Keep doing good work, and keep maintaining meticulous records of your performance as well as the harassment and any action against it. In times like this people get distracted from work and focus on the pending case – people may come around you pretending to sympathize with you. Don’t be carried away, many of them may be fake and may have been planted by the offender just to get information from you so they can cook their defense. Keep to your game, come to work earlier and do your task diligently.
Ask for support from your friends and family: Harassment and its aftermath are difficult to go through. Tell supportive friends, family members, and colleagues about the abuse. Talking with others about the harassment can give you much-needed support and help you clarify and process everything that’s happened – which in turn may help your company’s investigation or legal case. You don’t need to feel alone.
If you suspect someone else is being harassed, let the person know of your support and encourage him or her to take these steps. Don’t allow anyone to dismiss harassment as harmless or as part of the company climate. Standing up to workplace harassment is everyone’s responsibility.
We have always had the believe that women are the most harassed at work, in many occasions that may be the case but increasingly, there has been some male employees who have been harassed by their female bosses.
The confidentiality of HR professionals is really tested by how they handle some of this very sensitive and private cases. Reporting an act of harassment must be handled extremely well, it needs a lot of maturity and tact to be able to deal with such cases devoid of emotions and personal opinion – especially when HR desires to get results and stop its reccurrence.
The act of harassment can destroy the reputation of individuals and the image of the organization for good. For this reason and many others issues of harassment must not be encouraged at all and if reported, it must be promptly addressed. There must be zero tolerance at all times in handling harassment, with strict adherence to policy and provisions of the law.
It should also be considered that someone may be mischievous and set out to bring the reputation and career of a colleague or supervisor into disrepute – investigators must therefore be careful not to pass judgement wrongly. The evidence must be incontrovertible such that it can stand the test of time if the offender seeks to appeal against the ruling.
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