Despite the workplace being a professional space full of adults, that doesn’t mean all your colleagues will be mature and respectful. Unfortunately, this bullying can become a serious issue and make other workers feel unsafe. In some situations, bullying can bleed into harassment and become a legal issue, but it’s important to note that the two terms are not the same. To help clarify, this article will review and attempt to demystify the differences between workplace bullying and harassment.
What Is Workplace Bullying Defined As?
Workplace bullying looks very different from the schoolyard bullying that may come to mind, as workplace bullying is often much more verbal than physical. However, it can be harder to identify, as bullying to one person may seem like teasing to the other, and it isn’t always openly aggressive. Workplace bullying can look like spreading lies or rumors in the workplace or on the internet, isolation, tampering with property or workspace, sabotage, or threatening language.
It’s important to note that regardless of intention, what matters more is how the action gets received. An employer should address the issues if the actions or words of one employee make another employee uncomfortable.
What Is Workplace Harassment Defined As?
Workplace harassment comes in two distinct categories, one you may be familiar with is a hostile work environment, while the other is quid pro quo harassment. Quid pro quo harassment can look like the exchange of sexual favors for promotions or privileges and usually involves some form of threatening or power imbalance. A hostile work environment can occur due to sexual harassment, discrimination, aggression, or unwanted comments. The difference is that the actions make the workplace feel unsafe and affect more than one employee at a given time.
What Are the Differences Between the Two?
Bullying, when taken too far, can quickly turn into harassment. However, what mainly sets them apart, is the lack of legal definitions and parameters. While these words may get used interchangeably in everyday language, employers must know the difference when forming policies.
Additionally, harassment is usually enacted due to prejudice against race, sex, ability, age, and other protected classes, while bullying is usually acted out more generally. Workplace harassment can affect people’s overall well-being while impacting a group of workers instead of just one or two.
Despite the differences between workplace bullying and harassment, their solutions are the same. Proper training and specific workplace policies put everyone on the same page regarding expected behavior and can mitigate these issues.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist who appears weekly in the Los Angeles Wave newspaper and can be reached at [email protected].