How to react to harassment?

Have you ever been a victim or a witness of harassment? Discover how to react in our article.

“I absolutely did not realize that I was experiencing a case of harassment. It didn’t happen overnight. It started with ridiculous demands from the CEO who forced me to do work that was really below my position as a director. Then there were emails that were increasingly terse and vague, which made me have to ask for more explanations, making me look like someone who didn’t understand anything. Finally, there was a clear strategy to keep me away from my own team, changing meeting times without notifying me or revisiting decisions I had made. It became truly unbearable. I ultimately decided to request a meeting with HR. When I arrived in her office the following week, the CEO was there. And I received my termination notice. That was five years ago, and I think it took me over a year and a half to recover from it,” explains Laurens, a former senior executive turned teacher, who agreed to share his experience with us.

Harassment is very prevalent in the professional world and regularly makes headlines. In culture, sports, media, and even public institutions, for the past decade, voices have been liberated. And that is a good thing.

Mobbing, cyberbullying, harassment… What are we talking about?

“Harassment refers to abusive, repeated behavior directed at an employee or a group of employees and poses risks to health and safety.” This is the official definition from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Harassment can take various forms. It is generally categorized as moral harassment (or mobbing), physical harassment, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and discrimination.

1) Moral harassment consists of enduring repeated actions that could harm an individual’s rights and dignity.

2) Physical harassment is a severe form of moral harassment characterized by physical violence (throwing objects, hitting, etc.).

3) Sexual harassment involves imposing repeated sexually suggestive remarks or behaviors on a person.

4) Cyberbullying refers to harassment that occurs online.

5) Discrimination involves treating an employee differently based on their origin, gender, disability, religion, sexual identity, nationality, etc.

“I was just joking”

People don’t always recognize what constitutes harassment. A small, repeated joke might be considered by the person making it as an innocent act, while the person on the receiving end feels deeply uncomfortable. “Come on, it was just for laughs.”

What to do with an accusation?

The last decade has seen voices being liberated. And that’s a good thing. However, it has also greatly disrupted human resources. 

So, what should you do with an employee accusing another of harassment?

1. Listening

This is the first thing to do. This advice seems simple, yet victims of harassment report that many times, employers (via their prevention advisor or trusted contact person) have not listened. Worse, they sometimes downplayed the facts or the distress involved. This reflex often stems from the desire to “not make waves.”

2. Support the employee

The second step is to verify and cross-check information to establish or refute harassment. For this, make sure the employee is heard and receives initial information on the various courses of action available to them in the internal procedure for assessing preventive measures.

In this context, an informal approach may be considered, and a conciliation may be arranged with the implicated person(s).

If this conciliation does not yield results, the employee can file a formal complaint with the trusted contact or the prevention advisor. This document calls on the employer to take all necessary measures to put an end to the situation. It should also detail the incidents in question, including specifics regarding the alleged harassment (location, date, identity of the accused, etc.).

3. Examining the complaint

The prevention advisor must review the complaint within a three-month timeframe. They will hear from the various parties to establish whether harassment has occurred, then propose measures to the employer in a report. However, it is essential to apply the presumption of innocence after receiving a complaint and before concluding the examination, as there are indeed instances where complaints may not be justified.

4. Measures

Based on the prevention advisor’s recommendations, the employer must decide whether to take action. These measures may include disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal of the involved individuals.

Making the fight against harassment a priority 

Fighting against harassment is essential. The consequences can indeed be tragic for those who experience it: loss of trust, anxiety, stress… sometimes leading to self-destruction and suicide.

Let’s also highlight physical consequences like stomachaches, headaches, eating disorders, and sleep loss.

Finally, let’s name the professional consequences for all parties involved. A person suffering from harassment will perform less well, which directly impacts the company’s profitability. In some cases, they may extend their absences or leave their job.

Such situations are also generally detrimental to the overall atmosphere, which will affect the company in the long term.

How to prevent?

Put measures in place aimed at preventing the occurrence of harassment situations.

Here are some preventive measures: 

– Establish a clear outline of what is authorized or not in the workplace and communicate it clearly. In this regard, the work regulations are an ideal tool. The employer can explain the procedure to follow in case of suspected harassment, who to contact, and what external services are available…

– Train your staff. It might be worthwhile to provide training on detecting problematic cases, after all, it can be challenging to define the boundary between jokes, flirting, and harassment, and on managing such issues. Not all managers possess this skill. Therefore, the employer might invest in training on conflict management, emotional regulation, and people management…

– Finally, and this is an essential point, it is also important to note that the employer’s determination to combat harassment should be demonstrated through the example of their decisions. If the company shows that conflicts and complaints are taken seriously and followed up on, it will reassure all its employees that well-being at work is a significant concern.

And it will reinforce a basic principle: all employees have the right to come to work in an environment where they feel safe and protected.

Protected workers

When employees report harassment, they enter a protection period. This protection lasts between 3 to 12 months, depending on the case. You can learn more about the specifics in our blog.

It should be noted that this protection only applies to workers who pursue claims based on acts of violence or moral harassment in the workplace that are not linked to discrimination criteria and not related to sexual harassment.

The protection begins as soon as the employer becomes aware of the complaint, witness testimony, or request for psychosocial intervention regarding acts of violence or harassment.

If the employer wants to dismiss the worker who filed a complaint during this period, they must prove that the decision is not linked to the request for psychosocial intervention.

Stat: 583

583 million people worldwide have experienced psychological harassment at work, also known as moral harassment.

Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF), and Gallup.