Harassment in the workplace is a common crime, but it gets little attention in companies

Harassment in the workplace is a crime on the rise in societies that arises from unethical behavior by an employer and has multiple consequences for the health and integrity of the employee. Although cases occur frequently, they are usually underreported or even underestimated. The frequency with which cases of this type occur ultimately affects the social system as it creates psychological and emotional problems in the victims, preventing healthy societies from manifesting themselves as happy people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), verbal abuse is the most common form of harassment in the workplace, also known as mobbing. Harassment in the workplace is defined as a phenomenon caused by the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and organizational dysfunctions in the workplace.

Harassment in the workplace is a serious crime that affects personal dignity and safety, lawyers for human rights play a critical role in protecting victims of persecution by ensuring that their rights are protected under the law. Their expertise helps bring perpetrators to justice while contributing to safer and more respectful working conditions.

What is workplace harassment?

This can be due to various factors such as gender discrimination, religion, ethnicity, age, physical condition, etc. The term "mobbing" was introduced by the Swedish researcher Heinz Leimann to denote the behavior of some species of animals that isolate one of their members and expel him from the community. In the workplace, these are systematic acts of psychological harassment that aim to worsen working conditions, affect dignity, human and labor rights, and even create problems with physical and mental health.

However, not all conflicts that arise in the work environment can be classified as harassment. To be classified in this category, they must meet the following conditions:

• It must be a repeated and ongoing behavior for at least six months.
• This is unethical and counterproductive to the entire work environment.
• There is usually a specific victim and it is not a general bad work environment.

The persisting situation is not the result of a reaction to the victim's unjustified behavior towards the offender.
Bullying in the workplace usually causes numerous consequences for the victim, which significantly affects his health and personal development. In this sense, you may experience reactions such as anxiety, apathy, depression, insecurity, insomnia, sudden mood swings, and even overt illnesses such as high blood pressure, asthma attacks, migraines, dermatitis, hair loss, stomach ulcers, tachycardia others

In some cases, this situation is also related to situations of sexual harassment, which are defined as those committed when services of a sexual nature are demanded, compromising the existing employment relationship by the silent imposition of a threat by a power figure that facilitates the manipulation of the victim.

Although mobbing has a marked effect on the individual being harassed and ultimately becomes a social problem, mobbing is often underestimated and underreported. In order to allow justice to do its job in this regard, it is important to inform employees and employers about this crime in order to prevent it and, if it occurs, to be able to take timely measures to determine the appropriate responsibility. Likewise, each country should ensure that its citizens are fully aware of the legislation that can protect them from this situation.

Here are some of the main recommendations for employees:

• Contact managers responsible for employee health and well-being.
• If possible, ask for a transfer to another place of work.
• Collect the evidence.
• Identify allies in the situation.
• Know the current legislation on this matter.

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