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According to an article released back in 2022 by The International Labor
Organization, “More than one in five people (almost 23 per cent) in employment have
experienced violence and harassment at work, whether physical, psychological or sexual
abuse”. (ILO, 2022). Throughout previous years, there has been several reports of employee
harassment reported by employees throughout various parts of the world and workplaces.
Because one’s belief on religion, politics, and gender identity, employees tend to be directly
harassed and bullied for their beliefs and in return, have a bad reputation or negative job
performance. Unfortunately, these behaviours and actions provide great consequences and
harsh outcomes for companies where such things occur. Oftentimes, workers quit their jobs
because of the lack of respect or kindness they have been shown in their workplace and some
choose to take legal charge against the company or certain people. There are plenty of
resources provided to those out there who have unfortunately been put in a spot where such
behaviors have happened within their workplace. To provide a safe and welcoming workplace
environment for their employees, company’s need to take ownership and authority in
stopping such negative behaviors between employees.
While often, negative behavior within the workplace happens is various forms, studies
show that bullying and harassment is reportedly the most common. According to a study done
by impactly, “Polls put on by Monsters. Inc revealed that ninety percent of people feel as if
they have experienced workplace harassment”. (Impactly: A Vector Solutions Company, n.d.)
Both workers and employees, regardless of their status within the company, have manipulated
their powers by threatening workers to release or fire them from their jobs or minimize their
workload in addition to salary based on religious views, race, ethnicity etc. (Impactly: A
Vector Solutions Company, n.d.). According to an article released by the US.GOV “Demoting
or firing an employee for unruly or unfair reasons is one of the most common errors in the
professional workplaces today”. (US.GOV, 2022). With that being said, not only does unfair
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behavior, violence, abuse, harassment, and bullying create an emotionally and physically
unsafe work environment, but also puts these companies in a lot of trouble legally.
Unacceptable behaviors within a workplace can provide numerous issues and
consequences for businesses that experience such miserable actions towards their employees.
For example, at any time, a company is allowed to fire one of their workers who are
unprofessional or acting unethically. If either the head of the company or worker is the one at
fault, the employee has the choice to quit their job. In some cases, managers of companies are
also held to a high standard to where even themselves can get in trouble and put in a tough
spot for their employees’ actions. (Consequences of Workplace Discrimination and
Harassment in the United States, 2022). Both harassment and bullying can hinder the
reputation of the company which results in employees quitting and the workplace beginning
to experience failure throughout time.
In order for workplaces to become a safe environment, companies need to start taking
effective and assertive measures with their employees providing resources and training to not
only recognize employee harassment, but how to correctly deal with it. In certain situations,
certain behaviors and harassment can be considered illegal and can result in trouble for either
the employee or company as a whole. Because of this, there are so many different resources
available for companies who have suffered from abuse or harassment and provided
encouragement and guidance on how to deal with it. When looking at the facts, twenty three
percent is a high rate of employees who have experienced harassment and bullying during
their life in the corporate world. (ILO, 2022). Companies need to take ownership and become
aware of the unfortunate realities that are happening day to day that may go unnoticed
otherwise.
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References
Harassment in the Workplace. Prohibiting harassment in the workplace. Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development Equal Rights Division. (2020, January 2).
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/er/civilrights/discrimination/harassment.htm
Violence and harassment at work has affected more than one in five people. Experiences of
Violence and Harassment at Work: A first global survey: Violence and harassment at
work has affected more than one in five people. (2022, December 5).
https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_863177/lang--en/
index.htm
Wrongful termination. USAGov. (2022, December 6). https://www.usa.gov/wrongful-
termination#:~:text=Seek%20legal%20counsel%20if%20your,Employment
%20Opportunity%20Commission%20(EEOC).
What constitutes workplace abusive conduct? Online Diversity and Sexual Harassment
Training for Companies. (2019, July 11).
https://www.getimpactly.com/post/constitutes-workplace-abusive-
conduct#:~:text=Threatening%20gestures%20or%20unwarranted%20physical,via
%20email%20and%20social%20media
