What Is Physical Harassment At Work

What is physical harassment at work becomes a more serious question once conduct crosses into assault, because it is then a criminal matter as well as a workplace one.

Employers often reach for the internal process first, and that sequence causes problems. It can discourage the person from going to police. An internal investigation, with statements taken by untrained staff, may compromise a later criminal one. And the strongest internal outcome, dismissal, sits well below what the conduct warrants.

The safer approach is to say clearly that reporting to police is available, that the decision belongs to the person affected, that support is provided either way, and that the employer will meet its own obligations regardless.

Then act on immediate safety, separating the people involved, before any investigation begins.

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

See Sentrient’s occupational violence and aggression training and incident reporting software.