If there is any practice in this world which is gender neutral, then it is definitely the practice of harassing employees at the workplace, as in “workplace harassment”. It need not always be sexual in nature and that is one of the reasons why one might not even know that they are being cleverly bullied and harassed at the workplace. Read on to know the 10 sure shot signs of workplace harassment. If you have experienced at least 4 out of these 10 points, then you now know that you are a victim.
1) Your immediate supervisor/boss/colleagues often love to pinpoint your smallest negligible mistake, and that too more often in the team meetings and year-end reviews to decrease your bonus or stop your promotion. This might happen multiple times. More often than not, your boss might start shouting and insulting you in front of the whole team (in a space where even other teams can look at the embarrassing scene).
2) Anything good you do is never/seldom appreciated, but if any of your colleagues even happen to send a Good Morning email, they are appreciated with rewards.
3) You are being told to not even go to the loo without intimating the immediate supervisor, but others can choose to be out on extended smoke (cigarette) breaks.
4) The credit of your hard work is always given to, or taken by, someone else.
5) You dread approaching your boss for getting permission to take leaves, though you have enough leave balance and backup for your work and ensured team availability, because the first thing you might get to hear is, “You are always on leave, who will do your work?”
6) Not only is your dressing sense ridiculed, but everything about you is a joke for them and slowly the jokes become insults. But if you react to the insults then you are told, “You are not a team player.”
7) Even if you fall sick, you are still forced to come to the office. But others might go on a vacation and mark those days as sick leaves.
8) You are being given the most difficult tasks with an unrealistic deadline, as the boss knows that you are bound to fail in completing the task by that specific date. So even if you ask for more time, you are being labelled as incompetent. Mind you, the word incompetent might not be used. Instead, they will say, “XYZ person completes a similar task in the same time, why can’t you?”
9) You are never given a chance to take part in any other initiative in your company apart from work, and if there is an option of an internal movement to a different team, your boss/manager never gives you the email approval to even attend the interview, by stating some excuse.
10) Last but not the least is inappropriate touches which are sexual in nature. The verbal greetings become physical as they might touch you inappropriately while saying hi (mind you, the victims are also men and not just women). I won’t cover much of the sexual aspect of workplace harassment, as it’s already covered more wisely in other articles.
Take my word, these are not just some random statements but the truth, based on my experience and the research I have done with many people. If you are being subjected to this form of harassment, then you need to buckle up and take the next steps. And no, complaining to the HR is not what I am referring to.