Examples Of Psychological Harassment At Work

Examples of psychological harassment at work share one quality that makes them very hard to raise with anybody. Each one, taken on its own, has a perfectly innocent explanation available.

• Deadlines set that cannot be met, then criticism for missing them.
• Instructions changed after the work has started, repeatedly.
• Being excluded from information needed to do the job.
• Persistent criticism of small things while significant work goes entirely unmentioned.
• Sarcasm or belittling remarks framed as humour.
• Being ignored in meetings, or spoken over consistently in front of others.
• Sudden coldness or exclusion after the person raised something.

Any single item on that list invites a perfectly reasonable explanation. Twenty of them across six months, recorded with dates and detail, is a very different document.

Safe Work Australia covers psychosocial hazards including bullying. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s workplace bullying course and psychological safety training course.