Workplace Harassment:
Definition, Types & Comparison

Workplace harassment is belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. It encompasses any unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility toward a person based on protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or pregnancy.

Workplace harassment represents a significant source of work stress associated with aggressive behaviors in professional settings. Under occupational health and safety laws, workplace harassment and workplace bullying are identified as core psychosocial hazards. Overbearing supervision, constant criticism, and blocking promotions are all considered forms of workplace harassment.

Related terms: workplace bullying, mobbing, hostile work environment, workplace aggression

There are 10 primary types of workplace harassment that employees and HR professionals should recognize:

1. Sexual harassment
2. Discriminatory harassment
3. Personal harassment
4. Physical harassment
5. Verbal harassment
6. Psychological harassment
7. Power harassment
8. Online harassment (cyberbullying)
9. Retaliation
10. Third-party harassment

These types often overlap and can manifest simultaneously in workplace situations. According to the 2023 Workplace Harassment and Misconduct Insights report, different demographic groups experience varying rates of harassment, with 61% of Black employees encountering discrimination compared to 40% of total employees.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and violates federal law.

Sexual harassment occurs when submission to such conduct is explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of employment, when submission or rejection is used as a factor in employment decisions, or when such conduct substantially interferes with an individual's employment or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Sexual harassment takes 3 distinct forms:

• Verbal: unwelcome sexual innuendos, suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexual propositions, threats
• Non-verbal: sexually-suggestive objects or pictures, graphic commentaries, suggestive or insulting sounds, leering, whistling, obscene gestures
• Physical: unwelcome physical contact, touching, pinching, brushing by the body, coerced sexual contact, assault

One specific form is quid pro quo harassment, where an employee in a superior position demands sexual favors from a subordinate in exchange for benefits such as pay increases or promotions, or threatens consequences like termination or demotion if the subordinate does not comply.

A hostile work environment consists of discriminatory harassment, victimization, violence, or offensive conduct as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This unwanted behavior is severe, persistent, and disruptive to the complainant's work, typically based on race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, disability, or other protected characteristics.

Harassment is unlawful when enduring the conduct is required to continue employment or when it creates a work environment that is intimidating, hostile, or abusive. The behavior must be so frequent and severe that it substantially alters the conditions of employment.

Discriminatory harassment involves unwelcome, offensive, and negative behavior or intentions toward an individual or group based on legally protected demographic attributes. This harassment may be verbal, written, or physical and is illegal in the workplace.

Discriminatory harassment includes 5 primary categories:

• Disability harassment: unfavorable treatment of employees with physical or mental disabilities, including using slurs, making inappropriate jokes, or excluding employees from work-related functions
• Racial harassment: displaying racist symbols, mocking accents, making unwelcome comments about race, telling derogatory jokes, using racial slurs, or expressing intolerance toward any particular race group
• Sexual orientation harassment: derogatory, offensive, or demeaning remarks based on a person's sexual orientation, with 17% of employees experiencing or witnessing this type of harassment
• Gender identity harassment: discrimination because of gender identity, with 22% of employees experiencing or witnessing gender-based harassment and 83% of transgender employees experiencing this form of harassment
• Ageism: bias and discrimination based on age affecting both older and younger employees, with 99% of workers 40 years or older reporting ageism experiences

Religious harassment also falls under discriminatory harassment and targets individuals due to their religious beliefs through stereotyping, intolerant comments regarding religious holidays or traditions, inappropriate jokes, or pressure to convert.

Psychological harassment affects victims mentally rather than physically and consists of repeated hostile and unwanted words, actions, or behaviors that are painful, hurtful, annoying, humiliating, or insulting. This form of harassment is the hardest to identify because it operates through subtle emotional manipulation rather than overt physical actions.

Psychological harassment manifests through 3 primary behaviors:

• Exclusion and isolation from workplace activities or communications
• Belittling comments that diminish an employee's contributions or capabilities
• Gaslighting that causes employees to question their perceptions or experiences

Workplace bullying, also known as mobbing, represents a common form of psychological harassment. It is a long-lasting, escalated conflict with frequent harassing actions systematically aimed at a target person. The 2014 Workplace Bullying Institute survey shows that 27% of employees have experienced workplace bullying in the past, and 77% are currently suffering from it.

Power harassment is workplace harassment that involves a superior who uses their authority to harass subordinates. This type of harassment is not limited to a single form and can combine with other harassment types, such as a boss offering a prestigious project in exchange for sexual favors, setting impossible work expectations and deadlines, or making inappropriate comments about a subordinate's race.

Online harassment, or cyberbullying, consists of actions such as posting threats or demeaning comments on social platforms, bullying the victim through fake personas, making false allegations online, or sending offensive statements via work messaging platforms or email. The shift toward remote and hybrid work models has introduced novel complexities to harassment dynamics, as virtual communication becomes the norm and instances of harassment manifest through digital channels.

Unlike other forms of harassment that typically require repeat offenses, a single instance of cyberbullying may be sufficient to count as online harassment. Social media platforms, once considered external to the workplace, now serve as virtual extensions of the office, creating new avenues for harassment to manifest.

Retaliation is harassment that occurs when the harasser wants to get revenge for something. It can take the form of discriminatory, verbal, or physical harassment. Almost half of employees fear retaliation when reporting workplace issues, which makes aftercare following workplace investigations critically important.

The following 4 actions are legally protected from retaliation:

1. Reporting a workplace issue, whether as a witness or complainant
2. Participating or serving as a witness in a workplace harassment investigation
3. Encouraging or referring a colleague to HR for workplace issues
4. Requesting accommodations due to religious or disability requirements

In many cases, retaliation is illegal and represents a serious violation of employee rights.

Victims of workplace harassment span diverse demographic groups and can be separated into categories based on gender, sexuality, and race. Both men and women experience workplace harassment, though the forms differ. One of every two women experiences workplace harassment in their working or academic lives, with sexual harassment being the most common form. A 1981 study by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board shows that among female government employees, 33% experienced sexual comments, 26% had unwanted physical touching, and 15% were pressured for dates.

Men experience less workplace sexual harassment than women, with only 16.7% of rape and sexual assault victims being men, but men face more workplace violence. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 72% of people robbed in their workplace were men, men made up 74.4% of those who experienced aggravated assault, and 66.1% of those who experienced simple assault were men.

The LGBT community faces constant discrimination and harassment in workplaces. More than 8 million people in the American workforce identify as LGBT. The Williams Institute 2011 study found that 22% of employees experienced or witnessed gender-based harassment, with 83% of transgender employees experiencing gender-identity harassment.

Culturally stigmatized racial groups face more workplace harassment. Black Americans report significantly more minor, pervasive mistreatment and unfairness on the job than white Americans. Asian Americans and other minority races face a higher rate of homicide than their proportion of the workforce would suggest, with more than a fourth of workplace homicide victims being ethnic minorities despite representing only an eighth of the workforce.

Workplace harassment creates 3 primary negative impacts on victims:

• Alcoholism: The intensity of workplace harassment is positively correlated with alcohol use, as victims self-medicate distressful feelings resulting from problematic social conditions. Men are more likely to cope by drinking than women, though women are more sensitive and receptive to workplace harassment and have a greater propensity to drink. The negative drinking effects are more severe for women, and the increased alcohol consumption continues even after retirement.
• PTSD: Many workplace harassment victims experience post-traumatic stress disorder. A study of about 100 victims shows that a majority exceed recommended threshold values indicating PTSD. The more recent and frequent the workplace harassment occurred, the more severe the PTSD symptoms. One study reports that 76% of respondents experienced PTSD, though exposure to other traumatic life events may increase victims' vulnerability to workplace harassment.
• Other psychological effects: Analysis of 437 employees shows that those who experienced workplace harassment exhibited higher levels of anxiety and nervousness. A survey of 156 victims shows 79.4% suffer from stress, 64.7% from depressive symptoms, 64% from tiredness, 59% from lack of confidence, 58% from humiliation and guilt, and 58% from nightmares.

Organizations can prevent workplace harassment through 6 key actions:

1. Establish clear behavior standards that define what respectful conduct looks like in daily interactions, eliminating ambiguity and setting shared standards
2. Communicate policies often by making them visible, accessible, and reinforced regularly through meetings, onboarding, and internal communications
3. Train employees regularly to help them recognize inappropriate behavior, understand reporting procedures, and feel confident navigating difficult situations
4. Encourage respectful communication by promoting professionalism in conversations, meetings, and digital spaces to reduce misunderstandings
5. Address issues early, as small concerns when ignored can grow into serious problems
6. Provide multiple reporting options such as managers, HR representatives, hotlines, or anonymous reporting tools to ensure accessibility and comfort for all individuals

Prevention requires intentional effort and ongoing commitment. By embedding respectful practices into everyday operations, organizations reduce risk and foster healthier work environments.

Organizations should handle workplace harassment through 5 key actions:

1. Recognize all forms of harassment, understanding it is not limited to overt actions but includes inappropriate comments, gestures, repeated interruptions, exclusion from meetings, offensive images, digital messages, or pressure tied to authority
2. Take every concern seriously by responding respectfully and attentively, even if the behavior appears minor at first, to build trust and encourage early intervention
3. Respond quickly and impartially with timely action that signals organizational commitment, using neutral and fact-based responses that avoid bias or assumptions while ensuring all parties feel heard
4. Conduct objective investigations that follow a consistent process including gathering statements, reviewing evidence, and documenting findings with fairness and transparency
5. Report to appropriate authorities, as employees who believe they have been victims of harassment should report immediately to their supervisor or the Division Director of Human Resources without fear of reprisal or retaliation

Employees may also file formal complaints with the Office of Equal Employment and Dispute Resolution (EEDR) at the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). For federal employees, discrimination should be reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office at the agency where it happened within 45 calendar days.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 serves as the primary legal tool to eradicate workplace harassment. Title VII makes it unlawful for employers to fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also prohibits employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying employees in any way that would deprive any individual of employment opportunities or adversely affect their status as an employee.

Most courts interpret the Act liberally, making coverage under Title VII very broad. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) administers the practices and violations of Title VII and issues guidelines on discrimination. Employees have the right to file lawsuits for discrimination, though if the lawsuit is based on federal law, they must file a complaint with the EEOC first.

Two landmark court cases shaped workplace harassment law. In Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the court ruled that hostile environment is considered a violation of Title VII and that violations do not have to be tangible or economic. In Robinson v. Jacksonville Shipyards, Inc., the District Court addressed the conflict between free speech principles and equality principles in workplace sexual harassment cases involving pornographic materials.

Workplace harassment is often compared to 3 related concepts:

Workplace Harassment vs. Workplace Bullying

Workplace harassment is an umbrella term that includes workplace bullying as one of its forms. While workplace harassment encompasses any belittling or threatening behavior directed at workers based on various grounds, workplace bullying specifically refers to mobbing, a long-lasting, escalated conflict with frequent harassing actions systematically aimed at a target. The 2014 Workplace Bullying Institute survey shows that 27% of employees have experienced workplace bullying, and it occurs across diverse industries including hospitals, universities, manufacturing plants, research industries, and social service agencies.

Workplace Harassment vs. Workplace Discrimination

Workplace discrimination and workplace harassment are related but distinct concepts. Discrimination happens when an employer treats an employee or job applicant unfairly because of protected characteristics and typically involves employment decisions such as hiring, firing, promotion, or compensation. Harassment, however, is unwelcome conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Harassment becomes unlawful when enduring the conduct is required to continue employment or when it is so frequent and severe that it creates a hostile environment. Discriminatory harassment represents the intersection of both concepts.

Workplace Harassment vs. Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is a subset of physical harassment within the broader category of workplace harassment. Workplace violence specifically refers to physical threats and assaults targeted at employees, with perpetrators being either criminals who approach as clients or co-workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports 9,937 workplace homicides occurred from 1980 to 1992, averaging 800 per year. By 1993, homicide became the second-leading cause of death on the job for all employees and the leading cause for women. In contrast, workplace harassment includes not only physical violence but also verbal, written, psychological, and emotional abuse that creates hostile work environments.