11 Types of Workplace Harassment (and How to Stop Them)

The workplace harassment epidemic has been exposed. Do you know what to look for and what to do about it? Discrimination and harassment in the workplace often go hand in hand, creating a toxic environment for employees. Understanding how to identify and address these issues is crucial to fostering a safe and respectful workplace.

It seems like every week a new company is in the news for a discrimination and harassment in the workplace scandal. When the knowledge that they mishandled, ignored, or didn't recognize the harassment issues, these companies not only earn a poor reputation, but often must pay financially, too. For instance, in September 2022, an IHOP franchisee had to pay $125,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sexual harassment lawsuit. The suit claimed that at least two young female employees were repeatedly subjected to graphic sexual comments, inappropriate touching, and "conditioning employment actions on responses to the [male] manager's sexual propositions". The franchisee allegedly knew about this conduct and failed to take action against the manager, forcing the employees to quit. The franchisee is also required to implement new harassment and discrimination policies, improve training reporting procedures, and use a third-party investigator to handle complaints. If you don't want to deal with fines, lawsuits, replacing employees, bad press, or the stress of a scandal, you need to address harassment before it becomes a major issue. By the end of this guide, you will be able to identify 11 of the most common types of workplace harassment and how they might intersect. Plus, we've got three expert harassment prevention tips to help you protect both your employees and your organization. Examples of harassment in the workplace can range from verbal abuse to physical actions, and understanding these examples is crucial for maintaining a safe work environment.

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Table of Contents

 
•    Discriminatory  
 
•    Personal  
 
•    Physical  
 
•    Power  
 
•    Psychological  
 
•    Online/Digital  
 
•    Retaliation  
 
•    Sexual  
 
•    Quid Pro Quo  
 
•    Third Party  
 
•    Verbal  
 
•    How to Prevent Workplace Harassment  
 
•    How Case IQ Can Help  

1. Discriminatory Harassment in the Workplace

All unlawful workplace harassment is discriminatory in nature. But, unlike verbal or physical harassment, discriminatory harassment is defined by its intentions instead of how it's carried out. In this case, the bully is harassing the victim because, at least in part, they're a member of a protected class. Protected classes include sex/gender, age, race, religion, color, national origin, and physical and mental ability.

Most Common Types of Workplace Discriminatory Harassment

The more common and recognizable forms of discriminatory harassment are described in more detail below.

A. Racial Harassment

A victim may experience racial harassment because of their race, skin color, ancestry, origin country, or citizenship. Even perceived attributes of a certain ethnicity (e.g. hair texture, skin color, accent, food, use of certain slang or other words, customs, beliefs, holidays or celebrations, clothing) may be the cause. Racial harassment often looks like:

 
• Use of slurs in general or directed at the victim
 
• Insulting or degrading comments about the victim's race or a race as a whole
 
• Sharing of racial jokes, "memes," or images
 
• Acting disgusted to be around the victim (e.g. refusal to share a cubicle; acting grossed-out by the victim's cultural foods brought for lunch)
 
• Intolerance of differences

B. Gender Harassment

Gender-based harassment is discriminatory behavior towards a person based on their gender expression. It can happen to cisgendered women or men (people whose gender identity matches that they were assigned at birth), trans women or men, and non-binary or two-spirited employees. Negative gender stereotypes about how men or women should act or look are often the center of harassment. Some examples include:

 
• A male nurse faces harassment for having what's perceived as a woman's job
 
• A female banker is passed over for a promotion because she's not "leader material"
 
• A male colleague displays materials (e.g. comics, posters, screen savers) that are degrading to women
 
• A non-binary person is referred to as "it" by a coworker
 
• A transgender man is referred to as "she" in an email

C. Religious Harassment

Religious harassment is often interconnected with racial harassment but narrows in specifically on the victim's religious beliefs. An individual with a religion that differs from the "norm" of the company may face workplace harassment or intolerance in a variety of ways, including:

 
• Intolerance toward religious holidays
 
• Intolerance toward religious traditions
 
• Intolerance toward religious customs
 
• Cruel religious jokes
 
• Degrading stereotypical comments
 
• Pressure to convert religions

D. Ability-Based Harassment

Ability-based harassment is a type of workplace harassment directed towards individuals who either:

 
• Live with a disability (physical or mental) themselves
 
• Are acquainted with a person or people with a disability
 
• Use disability services (e.g. sick leave or workers' comp)

A person with a disability may experience harassment in the form of harmful teasing, patronizing comments, refusals to reasonably accommodate, or isolation.

E. Sexual Orientation-Based Harassment

Sexual orientation-based harassment is covered under sex-based harassment but can look very different. Victims face harassment because their sexual orientation is different from those around them. People of any sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, etc.) may experience this form of harassment depending on their line of work. For example, a homosexual man may face harassment on a construction site whereas a heterosexual man may be teased for working in a salon.

F. Age-Based Harassment

Workers 40 years and older are specifically protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to promote the employment of older people and reduce age-based harassment. A person facing age-based harassment might be:

 
• Teased and insulted, especially referencing age-based stereotypes
 
• Left out of social activities, projects, or meetings
 
• Unfairly criticized for limited skills in a certain area

Unfortunately, this harassment is sometimes an attempt to wrongfully push the individual into early retirement. If done to a younger employee, it could discourage them enough that they change teams or even employers all together.

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2. Personal Harassment

Personal harassment is a form of workplace harassment that's not based on one of the protected classes (such as race, gender, or religion). It often targets something about the victim's work, personality, or looks, but can also be generalized behavior that offends the victim, such as telling an off-color joke. Put simply, it's bullying in its most basic form. It's technically not illegal, but can be damaging nevertheless.

Examples of Personal Workplace Harassment

 
• Inappropraite or rude comments
 
• Offensive jokes
 
• Personal humilation
 
• Overly critical remarks
 
• Ostracizing behaviors
 
• Intimidation tactics

Or any other behavior that creates an intimidating and hostile work environment for the victim. What matters most is that the victim felt they were being harassed, not the other person's intentions with their behavior.

3. Physical Harassment

Physical harassment, often called workplace violence, is workplace harassment that involves physical attacks or threats. In extreme cases, physical harassment may be classified as assault. Physical gestures such as playful shoving or a soft punch to the shoulder can blur the line between appropriate or not. The person on the receiving end gets to decide whether the behavior makes them uncomfortable. In order to more clearly define that line, physical harassment should be taken very seriously in the workplace and explained thoroughly in codes of conduct and policies.

Examples of Physical Harassment in the Workplace

 
• Direct threats of intent to inflict harm
 
• Physical attacks (kicking, hitting, shoving)
 
• Threatening behaviors (shaking fists angrily)
 
• Destroying property to intimidate

Industries at Risk of Workplace Violence

Employees in some industries are at higher risk of workplace violence. These include healthcare workers, peace officers, social services employees, teachers and educators, retail staff, and public transit drivers. People who work at night, in rural or remote areas, and/or work alone also have an increased risk of physical harassment on the job.

4. Power Harassment

Power harassment is a common form of workplace harassment that's characterized by a power disparity between the harasser and the victim. The harasser exercises their power by bullying a victim who is lower on the office hierarchy. In many cases, the harasser is a supervisor or manager who victimizes their subordinates.

Examples of Power Workplace Harassment

Power harassment isn't limited to a certain type of behavior. It can be verbal in the form of intimidation or physical in the form of acts of violence. Often it's psychological. The harasser subjects the victim to:

 
• Excessive demands that are impossible to meet
 
• Demeaning demands far below the employee's capability
 
• Intrusion into the employee's personal life
 
• Forcing them to do things outside the scope of their job (e.g. personal errands, working excessive hours, sexual favors)

5. Psychological Harassment

Psychological harassment has a negative impact on a person's psychological well-being. Victims of mental harassment at the workplace often feel put down and belittled on a personal level, a professional level, or both. The damage to a victim's psychological and mental health often creates a domino effect, impacting their physical health, social life, and work life.

Examples of Psychological Harassment in the Workplace

 
• Isolating or excluding the victim or denying the victim's presence
 
• Belittling or trivializing the victim's thoughts or ideas
 
• Discrediting or spreading rumors about the victim
 
• Opposing or challenging everything the victim says
 
• Gaslighting the victim
 
• Promoting an overly competitive or hostile work environment