Bullying and Harassment in the workplace

Did you know that businesses can be responsible for discriminatory conduct?

Did you know that businesses can be responsible for discriminatory conduct that occurs in the virtual work environment in just the same way as they can be responsible for discrimination in ‘real life’?

The Watford Employment Tribunal ruled that the contents of a group WhatsApp conversation used by employees of Deltec International Courier constituted harassment because it was unwanted conduct that had the effect of violating the dignity of the employee.

It found the comments created an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment” for her. Several offensive comments had been made including the term “f***ing immigrants”. Members of the group had also asked what “her” problem was and for someone to “shut this terrorist up” before they “rip her headscarf off”.

The tribunal heard the conversation was littered with smiling and laughing emojis, and emojis of women wearing the hijab. The employee in question was of Somali origin.

We offer a Bullying and Harassment Training Online Course that has been designed for you to learn how to best manage your team. We take you through it all – identifying, preventing, handling, and combating negative behaviour in the workplace.

Have you ever witnessed bullying and harassment in the workplace?