PROFESSIONAL

ETHICS HU-
222
Lecture - 8

MILITARY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

RISALPUR
 Harassment
Harassment means “aggressive pressure or intimidation”
and it covers a range of actions and behaviors of
aggressive nature. It may be defined as:

▶ A Behavior that annoys or upsets someone.

▶ An act or an instance of irritating, disturbing, annoying,

or troubling repeatedly.

Such behaviors and a ctions when become repetitive

are
defined as bullying.
 Categories of Harassment

Verbal Discriminatory

Third Party Personal

Physical
Quid and Pro Quo sexual
Power
Sexual
Psychological
Retaliation
Cyberbullying
 Discriminatory Harassment
 All unlawful workplace harassment is discriminatory in nature.
 Discriminatory harassment is threats, intimidation to interfere personal’s civil.
rights.
 Unlike verbal or physical harassment, discriminatory harassment is
defined by its intentions instead of how it’s carried out.
Various intentions of Discriminatory Harassment

Race
Gender
Religious
Disability
Age Based
 Personal
Harassment
▶ Personal harassment is a form of workplace harassment
that is not based on one of the protected classes (such
as race, gender or religion).
▶ In its most basic form and it is not illegal but can be
damaging nevertheless. E.g. Inappropriate or personal
comments, Offensive jokes, Unwanted physical advances,
Intimidation tactics etc .
 Physical Harassment
▶ Physical harassment, also often called workplace violence,
refers to a type of workplace harassment that involves
physical attacks or threats. In extreme cases, physical
harassment may be classified as assault. E.g. Direct threats,
Physical threats, Destroying property etc .
 Power
▶ Power Harassment
harassment is a common form of workplace
harassment that’s charac terized by a power
disparity between the harasser and the harassed.
The
harasser exercises their power by bullying a victim who
is lower on the office hierarchy. E.g. Verbal, Physical,
Intrusion into personal life, Blackmailing, Quid Pro Quo,
Unfeasible demands regarding work etc .
 Psychological Harassment
▶ Psychological harassment has a negative impact on a
person’s psychological well-being. Victims of psychological
harassment often feel put down and belittled on a personal
level, a professional level or both. The damage to a
victim’s psychological well-being often creates a domino
effect, impacting their physical health, social life and work
life. Example include- belittling the victim, spreading rumors
about the victim, opposing whatever victim says etc.
 Cyberbullying
▶ Employers are embracing new technology in order to
appeal to younger employees and reap the benefits of
a digitally connected world. E.g. Spread lies or gossip in
chat- groups, Sharing of humiliating stuff, Harassing
instant messages etc .
 Retaliation
▶ Retaliation harassment occurs when a person harasses
someone else to get revenge and to prevent the victim
from behaving in such a way again.
▶ Employee A files a complaint about Employee B.
Employee
B finds out about the complaint and who made it.
▶ Employee B harasses Employee A to get revenge and
deter them from filing further complaints.
 Sexual
▶ A Harassment
harassment that is sexual in nature and generally
includes unwanted sexual advances, conduct or behavior.
▶ Other types of harassment might take some time and
increasing severity to create a hostile work environment for
the victim, whereas sexual harassment typically brings
about discomfort and negatively impacts the victims’ life
immediately.
▶ Examples of Sexual Harassment
▶ Posting sexual posters, Sexual comments, jokes, questions.
▶ Inappropriate sexual touching.
Quid Pro Quo Sexual
Harassment
▶ Quid pro quo, translated to “this for that”, is a type of
exchange-based sexual harassment. If job benefits
are offered to an employee on the condition that they
partake in some form of sexual conduct, it is typically
referred to as quid pro quo sexual harassment.
▶ In this situation, the harasser, who is often a manager or
senior-level employee, may offer something of value for a
sexual favor, such as salary raise, or avoid demotion. It can
also be a form of blackmail.
 Third Party
Harassment
▶ Third-party harassment is a type of workplace harassment
that’s perpetrated by a “third party” – someone from
outside of the organization.
▶ Instead of the perpetrator being a boss, supervisor or
colleague, he or she is a vendor, supplier, customer or client
of the company.
 Verbal Harassment
▶ Verbal harassment can be the result of personality conflicts
in the workplace that have escalated beyond the casual
eye roll or something more serious. E.g. Threatening, Yelling,
Insulting etc. The negative effects include- feelings of
shame and guild, loss of passions and even increased
blood pressure.
 Tips to Stop
▶
Harassment
Implement, Update, Revive Your Policy: Whatever verb
is applicable to your policy situation, do it. Create /
improve / use a policy.

▶ Train Your Staff: Train your employees on what harassment

is, how to recognize it and how to report it.

▶ Implement, Update, Revive Your Internal Complaint System:

To supplement policy, and to step in when it is not enough,
an internal complaint system (like i-Sight’s Ethics Hotline)
can make employees feel safe and supported. Else the
victim may feel threatened to complain.