Types Of Discrimination And Harassment

The types of discrimination and harassment that arise at work overlap, because harassment aimed at a protected attribute is itself a form of discrimination. These are the categories most Australian complaints fall into.

• Sexual harassment. Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, covered by the positive duty since December 2023.
• Sex-based harassment. Demeaning conduct because of a person’s sex, without being sexual in nature.
• Racial harassment. Conduct targeting race, colour or ethnic origin, including so-called banter.
• Disability-based harassment. Mockery, exclusion or comment directed at a person’s condition.
• Age-based harassment. Remarks about capability, relevance or retirement.
• Hostile environment. Conduct aimed at nobody in particular that still makes the workplace hostile for people with an attribute.

The last one is the category employers most often miss, because there is no individual target to point to. The Australian Human Rights Commission handles these complaints. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s sexual harassment course and equal employment opportunity course.