Personal Harassment At Work

Personal harassment at work is frequently written off as a personality clash, and sometimes that is exactly what it is. Three questions separate the two.

Is it mutual? A clash runs both ways. Two people who find each other difficult both complain, avoid each other, and behave badly at the edges. Harassment runs one way.

Is there a power difference? Between peers of equal standing, a clash is plausible. Where one controls the other’s work, hours or reputation, that framing is much harder to sustain.

What happens when they are separated? A clash resolves. Targeting usually follows the person, or transfers to somebody new.

That third question is the most useful of the three, and it is answerable from records the organisation already holds rather than from anybody’s impression.

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

See Sentrient’s workplace bullying course and psychological safety course for managers.