Workplace bullying can happen to casual or permanent employees, to volunteers, work-experience students, interns, apprentices, contractors or sub-contractors. Workplace bullying can be verbal, physical, social or psychological. It can be committed not only by your employer (manager or team-leader) but also any other person or group of persons at your work-place. Some actions and/or words constituting workplace bullying are criminal offences in NSW; among those categories are:
- offensive language or comments
- unjustified criticism of your work or person
- deliberate exclusion from normal workplace activities
- being excluded from information necessary for you to perform work duties properly.
Workplace bullying can happen in any type of workplace, from offices to shops, factories, cafes, restaurants, volunteer community groups, government organizations, schools.
What is Harassment?
Harassment means form of behavior that is unwelcome, uninvited and unreciprocated and causes a hostile or uncomfortable workplace by intimidating, offending, degrading or humiliating someone because of their (or their relatives, friends, colleagues), sex, pregnancy, marital status, race, ethnic or ethno-religious background, disability, homosexuality, transgender, age or carer responsibilities.
What is not bullying or harassment?
Bullying and/or harassment exclude fair, just and reasonable actions taken by an employer in a fair way in connection with a person’s employment.