Harassment and Bullying – Employer

Harassment has been defined as any unwanted physical, verbal (or non-verbal) conduct based on grounds of race, religion age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, which is offensive, degrading or humiliating to the recipient.

Bullying has been defined as repeated, offensive, intimidating, insulting or unreasonable behaviour directed at an individual or group of people. It can include insulting and offensive language; unjustified criticism; physical threats; deliberate exclusion of the complainant from workplace activities; spreading of malicious rumours.

Neither definition is exhaustive, and obviously there can be crossover these two definitions.

As an employer, it is important to deal with complaints of this nature in a timely manner to avoid a bad situation becoming worse; to limit harm to staff morale and the business overall. As an employer, it is your responsibility to provide support to employees who you find have been impacted by such workplace issues, and Phil Mitchell can help you through the process. From the start of the complaint to the solution, Phil will be there with you every step of the way.

Bullying and harassment claims are increasingly common: some are valid, others arise from staff who don’t like being managed: each will have its own unique facts and personalities. Phil will provide advice on the validity of any such claims and how to effectively resolve them. Emotions are often heightened at such times, and Phil will provide calm and reassuring advice as to how to settle matters and move forward. He will provide legal support to employees and give best practice examples to help solve the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Sometimes this will involve extensive investigation into the culture of a business; other times, a good-faith meeting between the parties involved can resolve issues. Every case is different – Phil will assess yours and advise which approach suits best.