What Are Some Examples Of Disability Harassment In The Workplace

Asking what are some examples of disability harassment in the workplace tends to surface conduct that everybody involved describes as banter.

A nickname based on a condition that the team says is affectionate. Impressions done in the person’s presence, which they laugh along with. Ongoing jokes about equipment or adjustments. Being called out for using a lift or a park.

The defence offered is always the same. They join in. Nobody meant anything. It is how this team is.

None of that answers the test. Whether conduct was welcome is not established by somebody laughing, particularly where the alternative is being marked as the person who cannot take a joke.

A manager who joins in removes any realistic option of objecting, because the person now has to challenge the individual who decides their shifts.

The Australian Human Rights Commission publishes guidance. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s disability awareness training and workplace bullying course.