Prevention of Workplace Harassment and Violence

PREVENTING WORKPLACE HARASSMENT,
www.vra.com
VIOLENCE AND BULLYING
FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Presentation Outline
Some Explanations for Workplace

Workplace Harassment and Their Causes
Matrices of Sexual Harassment
Prevention of Workplace Harassment
Workplace Violence and Their Causes
Prevention of Workplace Violence
Workplace Bullying and Their Causes
Prevention of Workplace Bullying
Conclusion
2
Some Explanations for Workplace

 The workplace is broadly envisioned to include public and private workspaces in
the formal and informal sector. This includes both physical and virtual spaces,
including work-related travel, commuting to and from work, and work that
happens online (Source: IGI Global)
 A workplace or place of employment is a location where people perform tasks,
jobs and projects for their employer. (Source: indeed.com). The workplace can
take a variety of settings, such as outdoors among nature, inside an office or
remotely while traveling. Examples include office, home office, factory or
distribution center, farm or outdoor location, store, etc. Regardless of the
setting, the most productive workplace possesses an efficient and positive
environment where employees have the tools they need.
 The workplace can be an important place for learning and development, and in
which knowledge can be created (Source: Avis, 2010).
3
Workplace Harassment
 Workplace harassment is any unwanted or undesirable
conduct that puts down or shows hostility or an aversion
toward another person at the workplace. It is an act done
by any person at the workplace intending to make the
other person uncomfortable.
 Harassment includes but is not limited to verbal, physical,
visual and sexual harassments.
 Verbal harassment, e.g., epithets, derogatory comments or
slurs.
4
Workplace Harassment – Cont’d.
 Physical harassment, e.g., assault, impeding or blocking

movement, or any physical interference with normal work
or movement, when directed at an individual.
 Visual harassment, e.g., derogatory posters, cartoons, or
drawings.
 Sexual harassment, e.g., unwanted sexual advances which
condition an employment benefit upon an exchange of
sexual favours. Provisions on sexual harassment in Ghana
are found in the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651, section 175),
Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732, section 42) and the
1992 Constitution of Ghana.
5

Matrices of Sexual Harassment
 Sexual harassment matrices may include the following (Source:
ILO 2010) :
 Being repeatedly stared at the sensitive part of the body or
being stared with a sexual nature for a long time by others.
 Being physically approached by others intentionally.
 Being sexually teased or hinted by others through telephone,
mobile phone or mail by others.
 Being sexually abused by others.
 Being offered benefits by others in return for a sexual favour.
6

Matrices of Sexual Harassment – Cont’d.
Being exposed to obscene behaviour by others,

including gesture and exposure of sexual organs.
Being forcefully petted by others.
Being forcefully hugged by others.
Being forcefully kissed by others.
Being forced into sexual intercourse by others.
7
Causes of Workplace Harassment
 Gender inequality is a key driver, or underlying cause, of
workplace sexual harassment.
 Workplaces lacking diversity.
 “Silos” of employees based on culture or language differences.
 Issues involving persons with power.
8
Prevention of Workplace Harassment
 Workplace harassment can be prevented by (Source: OSHA, 2015):

Establishing a clear-cut, zero-tolerance, anti-harassment policy.
Instituting training and awareness programmes for the
employees.
Informing employees that harassment is prohibited.
Identifying who employees should contact to discuss
harassment questions or concerns.
Assuring employees that they will not be punished for asking
questions or sharing their concerns.
9
Workplace Violence
 Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence,

harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive
behavior that occurs at the work site.
 It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and
visitors.
 Examples of workplace violence include direct physical
assaults (with or without weapons), written or verbal
threats, physical or verbal harassment, and homicide.
10
Workplace Violence – Cont’d.
 Other examples of workplace violence include (Source:

CCOHS):
 Any act in which a person is abused, threatened,
intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment.
Rumours, swearing, verbal abuse, harassment, pranks,
arguments, property damage, vandalism, sabotage,
pushing, theft, physical assaults, psychological trauma,
anger-related incidents, rape, arson and murder.
11

Causes of Workplace Violence
 Some common causes of workplace violence includes but not
limited to the following (Sources: NIOSH and Friedman, 2006):
 Environmental factors of the physical workspace.
 Absence of strong workplace violence prevention programmes and
protective regulations.
 Under the influence of drugs or alcohol .
 Have certain psychiatric diagnoses and/or medical diagnoses.
 Have a history of violence.
 Organizational risk factors of careless management and staff
attitudes toward workplace violence prevention.
12
Prevention of Workplace Violence
 Workplace violence can be prevented by (Source: ALICE,
2020):
 Conducting background checks on new employees.
Creating policies that prevents harassment.
Creating an effective line of communication.
Training and creating awareness.
Establishing a strict anti-violence policy.
Encouraging employees to accept individual
differences.
13

Prevention of Workplace Violence – Cont’d
Preventing conflicts from turning into harassment or
violence.
Managing visitors and providing security monitoring.
Encouraging everyone to report all violent incidents.
Deterring robbers with limited assets on hand.
Identifying organizational risk factors that can lead to
violence.
Performing a thorough analysis after an incident or near
miss.
14
Workplace Bullying
 Workplace bullying is a repeated, health-harming mistreatment by one or
more employees of an employee: abusive conduct that takes the form of
verbal abuse; or behaviors perceived as threatening, intimidating, or
humiliating; work sabotage; or in some combination of the above (Source:
WBI).
 A person or group of people repeatedly behave unreasonably towards
another worker or group of workers and the behaviour creates a risk to health
and safety.
 Workplace bullying typically involves continuous or repeated malicious
behavior such as deliberate insults, threats, demeaning comments, constant
criticism, overbearing supervision, and profane outburst.
 It may also include blatant exclusion, being overworked, or simply not
communicating with colleagues.
15

Causes of Workplace Bullying
 Bullying can occur for several reasons, but it is often the result of a
combination of personality factors and work-related stressors,
including but not limited to (Source: Money Watch, 2017):
 Job insecurity, Workload, Role conflict/ambiguity, Cognitive demands of
the job, Negative emotional states, and Aggressive or hostile
behaviours.
 Being popular with colleagues, perhaps because of a vivacious
personality and a good sense of humor
 being recognized (by praise or promotion) for professional competence
 being well-known and rewarded for trustworthiness and integrity
(perhaps by having increased responsibility)
16

Causes of Workplace Bullying – Cont’d.
 Being helpful, sensitive and known as someone that colleagues can
talk to about professional or personal issues
 Finding it difficult to say no and frequently offering to help others
with projects or deadlines
 Being unwilling to gossip or engage in malicious discussion about
the incompetence of others
 Being quick to apologize when accused of something, even if not
guilty.
 Need to express power, revenge and Joking.
17

Prevention of Workplace Bullying
 Workplace bullying can be prevented by
 Creating a formal anti-bullying policy
 Establishing an open-door policy
 Taking all reports of bullying seriously
 Holding managers accountable
 Leading by example
 Training team members to recognize and report bullying
 Working on your company’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
 Being mindful of meetings
 Acknowledge kindness
 Bullying behavior doesn’t stop when the workday closes.
18

Conclusion
 It doesn’t matter who makes the offense at the workplace. It could
be a manager, co-worker, or even a non-employee like a client,
contractor, or vendor. If the person’s conduct creates a hostile work
environment or interrupts an employee’s success, it is considered
unlawful .
 Stop workplace harassment, violence and bullying because some
may be criminal in nature and the laws of the land may punish you
accordingly.
 The fact that criminal proceedings have been instituted against an
employee shall not preclude VRA from taking disciplinary action
against the employee for the same offence (Source: VRA CBA, 2015).
19
The End
THANKS
20

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PREVENTING WORKPLACE HARASSMENT,

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Some Explanations for Workplace

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

Some Explanations for Workplace

 Physical harassment, e.g., assault, impeding or blocking

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

Being exposed to obscene behaviour by others,

 Workplace harassment can be prevented by (Source: OSHA, 2015):

 Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence,

Workplace Violence – Cont’d.

 Other examples of workplace violence include (Source:

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

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