Which behaviors are signs of harassment?
Asked by: Geoffrey Muller | Last update: February 18, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (35 votes)
Harassment involves unwelcome behaviors like offensive jokes, insults, intimidation, unwanted touching, spreading rumors, exclusion, or displaying offensive images, often targeting someone's protected characteristics (race, gender, etc.) to demean or intimidate, creating a hostile environment. Key signs include verbal abuse, isolating someone, inappropriate physical contact, making derogatory comments, or undermining their work through sabotage, ridicule, or unfair delegation.
What behaviors are considered harassment?
Harassment is unwanted, offensive, humiliating, or intimidating behavior, often repeated but sometimes a severe one-off, that targets an individual or group, creating a hostile environment, especially when linked to a protected characteristic like race, sex, religion, or disability, though it can also be personal (bullying). It can manifest as verbal (slurs, insults), physical (unwanted touch, assault), visual (offensive images), or psychological (intimidation, shaming) actions, interfering with someone's ability to work or exist comfortably.
What are some signs of harassment?
Signs You May Have Experienced Workplace Harassment
- Feelings of discomfort. Sexual harassment can be subjective and might be measured in feelings of discomfort. ...
- Unwelcome physical contact. ...
- Differential treatment. ...
- “No” not accepted. ...
- Requests for sexual favors. ...
- Bullying. ...
- Sexual jokes or displays of sexual images. ...
- Several victims.
What are examples of harassment in the workplace?
Workplace harassment includes offensive jokes, slurs, name-calling, physical threats, intimidation, ridicule, insults, offensive objects, unwanted touching, sexual advances, bullying, social exclusion, rumors, unreasonable demands, and excessive monitoring, often targeting protected characteristics like race, gender, religion, age, or disability, creating a hostile environment. It can be verbal, non-verbal, physical, or digital, and involves behavior that is unwelcome and degrades or intimidates someone.
Which of the following behaviors would be considered harassment?
Unwelcome conduct, verbal or physical, including intimidation, ridicule, insult, comments, or physical conduct, that is based on an individual's protected status or protected activities under Personnel Bulletin 18-01, when the behavior can reasonably be considered to adversely affect the work environment, or an ...
7 Warning Signs of Emotional Abuse
What are the three types of harassment?
The three primary types of harassment often categorized are Verbal/Written, Physical, and Visual, though harassment also falls under broader themes like sexual, discriminatory (race, gender, religion), and psychological bullying, creating intimidating environments through offensive jokes, unwanted contact, threats, or hostile displays, with sexual harassment specifically including "quid pro quo" (favor for favor) and hostile environment forms.
What is behavioral harassment?
Harassing behavior is unwanted, offensive, or intimidating conduct, often repeated, that targets an individual or group, creating a hostile environment and causing distress or harm, frequently linked to a person's protected characteristics like race, gender, or religion, though it can also be general intimidation or abuse. It involves unwelcome actions, words, or visual displays that demean, humiliate, or threaten, ranging from offensive jokes and insults to physical contact or cyberbullying.
What are the six forms of harassment?
Six Common Types of Workplace Harassment
- Intimidation. Overly authoritative behavior, excessive micromanagement, shouting, swearing, threatening conduct or humiliating treatment.
- Ridicule. Excessive teasing or belittling an employee in front of others.
- Sexual Harassment. ...
- Assault. ...
- Bullying. ...
- Discriminatory Actions.
What are the 9 grounds of harassment?
Harassment that is based on the following grounds— marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age disability, race, or Traveller community ground— is a form of discrimination in relation to conditions of employment. What is sexual harassment? S23 EE Act.
What behaviours are considered workplace harassment?
Workplace harassment is unwelcome conduct based on race, sex, religion, disability, or other protected traits, creating a hostile environment through offensive jokes, slurs, intimidation, physical assault, or unfair treatment, or when employment decisions (like firing/promotion) hinge on submitting to unwelcome conduct, often sexual. It's behavior that is severe or pervasive enough to alter an employee's job conditions and create an abusive atmosphere, going beyond simple rudeness to include actions like unwarranted criticism, social isolation, or threats.
What are the five types of harassment?
The Main Types of Sexual Harassment
- Quid Pro Quo Harassment. ...
- Hostile Work Environment. ...
- Verbal Harassment. ...
- Non-Verbal Harassment. ...
- Physical Harassment.
What behaviors are not considered harassment?
Behaviours that are not considered harassment are those that arise from a relationship of mutual consent. A hug between friends, mutual flirtation, and a compliment on physical appearance between colleagues are not considered harassment.
What are the 5 most common warning signs of escalating behavior?
The 5 most common signs of escalating behavior involve changes in body language (pacing, clenched fists), verbal cues (raised voice, threats), emotional shifts (sudden anger, anxiety), increased physical tension (pounding fists, shaking), and behavioral defiance (refusing to cooperate, invading space, throwing objects). Recognizing these signs early helps in de-escalation by showing heightened agitation before an outburst, notes Trillium Staffing.
What behaviour constitutes harassment?
Harassment is unwanted, offensive, humiliating, or intimidating behavior, often repeated but sometimes a severe one-off, that targets an individual or group, creating a hostile environment, especially when linked to a protected characteristic like race, sex, religion, or disability, though it can also be personal (bullying). It can manifest as verbal (slurs, insults), physical (unwanted touch, assault), visual (offensive images), or psychological (intimidation, shaming) actions, interfering with someone's ability to work or exist comfortably.
What are the 5 ds of harassment?
The 5Ds are different methods – Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct – that you can use to support someone who's being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not okay, and demonstrate to people in your life that they have the power to make their community safer.
What is the most common form of harassment?
From unwelcome and offensive comments to unwanted physical advances and requests for sexual favors, sexual harassment is one of the most common and familiar forms of workplace harassment. Sexual harassment can be verbal or physical, both of which are discriminatory.
What actions fall under harassment?
Examples of Harassment
- Verbal or physical abuse, threats, derogatory remarks, jokes, innuendo or taunts about appearance or beliefs.
- The display of pornographic, racist or offensive images.
- Practical jokes that result in awkwardness or embarrassment.
- Unwelcome invitations or requests, either indirect or explicit.
What evidence do you need for harassment?
To prove harassment, you need a detailed log of incidents (dates, times, locations, what happened), supported by tangible evidence like emails, texts, photos, videos, and witness statements, plus documentation of your complaints and the harasser's responses, showing the conduct was unwelcome, severe/pervasive, and based on a protected characteristic (like sex, race, etc.). Medical records showing impact and formal reports to HR/police also significantly strengthen a case.
What is proof of harassment?
The most valuable type of evidence in a criminal harassment case is direct witness testimony. Email, social media, and other messages are admissible as evidence in court. Witnesses will describe what occurred and how it made them feel.
What is an example of harassing someone?
Examples of physical harassment include
Unwanted, uninvited or inappropriate touching, patting, hugging or other physical contact (e.g. massaging a person without invitation or deliberately brushing up against them); Punching, hitting, pushing, slapping, kicking, or biting another person.
What are the 7 types of harassment?
7 Types of Workplace Harassment and Effective Prevention Measures
- Discriminatory harassment: ...
- Personal harassment: ...
- Power harassment: ...
- Cyberbullying: ...
- Retaliation harassment: ...
- Sexual harassment: ...
- Verbal harassment:
How do you identify harassment?
Offensive conduct may include, but is not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance.
What words are considered harassment?
Insults & Name-Calling – Personal attacks on your appearance, intelligence, or abilities. Threats & Intimidations – Statements that make you fear for your safety or well-being. Slurs & Discriminatory Language – Speech targeting your race, gender, religion, or other constitutionally protected characteristics.
What proof do you need for verbal harassment?
Proving verbal harassment involves meticulous documentation (dates, times, exact words, context), gathering corroborating evidence like emails, texts, or screenshots, and potentially securing witness testimony or expert opinions to establish a pattern of unwelcome, intimidating, or abusive conduct, meeting the "preponderance of evidence" (more likely than not) standard in legal settings, especially when supported by digital records showing hostility.
What are 5 behaviours that may constitute bullying?
The sort of repeated behaviour that can be considered bullying includes:
- Keeping someone out of a group (online or offline)
- Acting in an unpleasant way near or towards someone.
- Giving nasty looks, making rude gestures, calling names, being rude and impolite, and constantly negative teasing.