Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace-Words That Are Frequently Abused

Рет қаралды 7,425

4 жыл бұрын

"Bullying" and "harassment" are words that are frequently thrown about indiscriminately when I speak with employees. But from a legal perspective, these words have a very specific definition which may surprise employees.
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Пікірлер: 29

@IrishCottagewhisperingBrook 3 ай бұрын

Terry, thank you for you great content. I am currently suffering bullying/harassment in my workplace. I am on sick leave, I can't possible think to go back to work. . I have been harassed from a certain individual 6 years in this company. I was only legally in HR twice, but everyone sees what he does, my supervisor helps me sometimes to get away from him. At this period ( 6 years) I've asked some colleagues at work for help, Honestly I feel I have nobody to really help me, have asked him to stop several times. I am off work because the last time he used his body against mine making me get away from his way. I'm scared of what he's capable of next. I feel humiliated and scared and I don't want to go back to work. It's worth mentioning that I'm a foreigner and the things he says to me are related to that and he suggests that I wear certain clothes, I am disgusted. :( lost!

@terrygorry 3 ай бұрын

That's shocking. If you want legal advice give the office a bell and arrange a consultation 👍

@purniwijesundera1890 10 ай бұрын

I was bullied by a women at work for 4 years. I didn’t say anything about it. But as soon as I finished my legal environment class in my business mgt degree, I was waiting to see if she do it one more time. But God was ahead of me she had bad stuff and left. I was thinking Bad karma is real if you do bad things to others.

@Enavor 2 жыл бұрын

There's no law on bullying - only harassment and even with harassment you'll have a 10% chance, probably lower, of winning a case. Not worth it. There's a 65% chance that the target loses their job. Some employers also give out bad references under the guise that it's "accurate and truthful" to stop the target from finding alternative employment. That happened to me when I worked for the NHS in Edinburgh. As there's no legislation in employment law regarding bullying, the only way to tackle bullying is to show the rest of the team it's happening by being composed, professional and unreactive and hope, "hope", the team sees sense and reports the behaviour in your defence, and that only happens if the workplace becomes too toxic for the observers. Most witnesses of bullying tend to leave and find other jobs due to the atmosphere created between the target and the bully(s) if not resolved by management or unions. Very inefficient and affects the entire team for years to come, even once the targets long gone. That's why it's so important to speak up. Silence is consent. Maybe in another 50 years workplace bullying will be a thing of a bygone age. Who knows?

@ip9153 2 жыл бұрын

A male newbie wrote in the group chat at work "get out" when a senior female colleague message the team she's restarting machine. She replied," I don't think this is appropriate with regardless joking or not" the newbie gave a thumbs up and apologiesed in front of everyone verbally that he was simply joking. But I notice that he's only picking on a particular person when the manager was not around despite the fact that he's still learning on the job from the senior colleague that he bullied. He still sends aggressive or irrespective message or act it as if he's the boss " what's happening did you check the doc" . What's the best way handling this ? Should anyone teach him a lesson? For example, report to manger and request to issue him a warning letter that he's inappropriate behaviour falls under verbal abuse

@dazza4345 5 ай бұрын

Terry.I was bullied by a woman in work and received threats of physical violence infronts of witness on multiple occassions.On investigation eventually she was moved due to the behaviour. I was told by the company i would never have to work with her again.She teturned as my bossthree years later She covertely bullying me out within 6 months or so.

@rachelizabethx 4 жыл бұрын

If the bullying(meets all criteria plus) was allowed to continue for over 5yrs by a coworker, witnessed regularly by management, to the point of the victim retaliating and being dismissed via weak procedure, and dozens of flaws and errors, while the bully was protected and never investigated. Would it be possible to hold the employers to account via breach of contract/duty of care/H&S Act? Employers are not a small business.

@terrygorry 4 жыл бұрын

It would depend on all the circumstances but I don't like the sound of the "victim retaliated" as it would weaken any case as 2 wrongs don't make a right. But victims have options open to them, as set out in this video of mine:kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ntd7pNx8yrWpgZ8.html

@rachelizabethx 4 жыл бұрын

Terry Gorry Solicitor thank you. The victim responded to the bully be more appropriate wording, as in answering back for the first time ever, responding to the bully’s comments once out of a million and that led to a physical altercation - (no slaps/fists & the bully choked out the victim on the floor with his accomplice) but the victim was held responsible from day one and the bully protected. Employers used the word “retaliated”, in their investigation which was based on some very obvious lies and contradictions to protect the bully(a member of the owners family). Employers hoped victim would quit or worse. Employer should have foreseen the effects it was having, should have addressed it long before now, victim was broken and begging for help. Previous to this management would just walk away anytime he tried to make a complaint against this certain person. I’m finding it hard to find cases on bullying and negligence that haven’t ended in constructive dismissal.

@439bananas 4 жыл бұрын

@@rachelizabethx I had a problem with some workplace mobbing. So when I finally got fired, I changed my car and started to watch some of the main culprits. One evening the rough arsed daughter of one of the main perpetrators returned home driving a car as a drunk as a skunk. Made sure she was done for drink driving, she was in excess of 3X over the limit and she could barely stand up. The police knocked on the door and she was found collapsed on the kitchen floor. These sorts of bullies are usually crap parents, they do all sorts of bad things to innocent folk and bring their kids up just as bad, they have no morals when it comes to bullying people, why should you have any morals about hurting them as long as your actions are within the law.

@439bananas 4 жыл бұрын

@J T It is difficult to make that approach work unless you have another job lined up to go to and usually when someone is being bullied they make it difficult for that person to get a decent reference. The company I worked for had 12,000 employees and HR's sole reason for existence was to protect the company's arse. In the end, though this little group bullied so many people that HR started to notice the attrition and sickness rates of the department and sent a mole in. Sure enough, she was bullied too and had the evidence and the main guy was sacked and his sidekick went out the door not too far behind him and another guy that had been involved took a more junior position at another company.

@dazza4345 5 ай бұрын

Some employers allow the bully to manage the victim out the organisation.

@dazza4345 5 ай бұрын

I was bullied years ago as man by a woman in a large a company well known company . I was even threatened with threats of physical violence infront of staff and customers .Unfortunately colleagues were too weak to support you until an internal investigation was done.The bully was moved on and i was told i would never have work this person again .They admitted wrong doing.The bully was. narcissistic .The bully returned three years as my boss.She then covertly bullying me out of my position iver the next 6 months or so.I was moved out.

@TwinTravels40 Жыл бұрын

I am permanently being undermined and bullied and treated unfairly in my job for a big company. Its continued for 3 years now, I raised an indormal grievance but it still continues...what should I do?

@Marc-io8qm 6 ай бұрын

Wha happened? I went through same and was terminated.

@franktrappe4916 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent advice, and very clear definitions explained in plain English. Top man.

@terrygorry 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Frank 👍

@AnthonyManzio 10 ай бұрын

@@terrygorry I'm from Canada. What is your advice? Same here being bullied, mobbed, gaslighting, harassed at the hospital for over 12 years. I've happened to be the top worker for 38 years and have never been suspended. These bullies are jealous and miserable people. Union, manager, HR and the police are all totally useless. Bullies are lazy bums and stupid managers are scared of the bullies. They say about me I'm crazy, I drink, I'm a stalker all bs defamation of character. The biggest mistake since they removed disciplinary measures. They should arrest the bullies and fire the manager. Action speaks louder than nasty words. It destroyed my reputation. I will never quit to make these lazy bums ever win. If I decide to transfer to another hospital and may start mobbing me once again, I don't know all the new managers etc. like in every department like now. So best to not change hospitals. I will never let bullies try to control me from quitting. Never let these low life lazy bums ever win.[

@terrygorry 10 ай бұрын

@@AnthonyManzio I can’t advise you as you are in Canada and I’m not qualified to practice there

@AnthonyManzio 10 ай бұрын

@@terrygorry Okay thanks for your reply. Keep up the good work.

@clockwatch5222 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for explaining the legal definition of harassment & bullying

@palladiodecor6340 4 жыл бұрын

Terry is talking bollox, the non fatal offences against a person act extends to the workplace what states : 10.-(1) Any person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, by any means including by use of the telephone, harasses another by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with him or her, shall be guilty of an offence. (2) For the purposes of this section a person harasses another where- (a) he or she, by his or her acts intentionally or recklessly, seriously interferes with the other's peace and privacy or causes alarm, distress or harm to the other, and (b) his or her acts are such that a reasonable person would realise that the acts would seriously interfere with the other's peace and privacy or cause alarm, distress or harm to the other

@simakavand1695 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Sir , why do not you create instagram account ?

@terrygorry 4 жыл бұрын

I do have an Instagram account😀

@simakavand1695 4 жыл бұрын

@@terrygorry well Could u pls share your account ?

@terrygorry 4 жыл бұрын

@@simakavand1695 Here you go: instagram.com/tgorrysolicitor/ 👍

@palladiodecor6340 4 жыл бұрын

Terry are you saying the non fatal offences aginest a person act does not apply in the workplace? And none of the following does/can or could Happen to an employee (or manager) in work? 10.-(1) Any person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, by any means including by use of the telephone, harasses another by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with him or her, shall be guilty of an offence. (2) For the purposes of this section a person harasses another where- (a) he or she, by his or her acts intentionally or recklessly, seriously interferes with the other's peace and privacy or causes alarm, distress or harm to the other, and (b) his or her acts are such that a reasonable person would realise that the acts would seriously interfere with the other's peace and privacy or cause alarm, distress or harm to the other, Come off it Terry, PS I note that you still havent responded to me regards your bunkum, that the WRC is not bias towards employers..

@palladiodecor6340 4 жыл бұрын

I add that that fundamental right to privacy extends to the workplace.

@terrygorry 4 жыл бұрын

No, I am saying what I said in the video: there is a world of difference between the ordinary meaning a person might attribute to the words "bullying" and "harassment" in the context of the workplace, and the meaning the law gives the same words in the context of an employment related claim or cause of action or legal proceedings. Thanks for the comment👍