Bullying and harassment factsheet

Bullying and harassment in the workplace leads to a hostile and unpleasant working environment. It affects the performance of employees and can cause demoralisation, stress, increased absenteeism, high staff turnover and damage to the organisation’s reputation.

An employee who is subjected to bullying or harassment may bring a number of claims against the employer. To minimise the risk employers should aim to ensure that bullying and harassment does not occur and, if it does occur, ensure that adequate procedures are readily available to deal with the problem and prevent a reoccurance.