Question

What are differences and similarities between bullying and discrimination within the workplace?

Answer 1

Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could 'mentally' hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behaviour that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person or group of people. It has also been described as the assertion of power through aggression.

Examples include:

• Spreading malicious rumours, gossip, or innuendo.
• Excluding or isolating someone socially.
• Intimidating a person.
• Undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work.
• Physically abusing or threatening abuse.
• Removing areas of responsibilities without cause.
• Constantly changing work guidelines.
• Establishing impossible deadlines that will set up the individual to fail.
• Withholding necessary information or purposefully giving the wrong information.
• Making jokes that are 'obviously offensive' by spoken word or e-mail.
• Intruding on a person's privacy by pestering, spying or stalking.
• Assigning unreasonable duties or workload which are unfavourable to one person (in a way that creates unnecessary pressure).
• Underwork - creating a feeling of uselessness.
• Yelling or using profanity.
• Criticising a person persistently or constantly.
• Belittling a person's opinions.
• Unwarranted (or undeserved) punishment.
• Blocking applications for training, leave or promotion.
• Tampering with a person's personal belongings or work equipment

Discrimination is treating, or proposing to treat, someone unfavourably because of a personal characteristic protected by law.

The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 sets out 18 personal characteristics that make discrimination in employment against the law. Federal anti-discrimination laws also apply to Victorian employers.

Employees are protected from discrimination at all stages of employment, including:

Recruitment including how positions are advertised and how interviews are conducted
being offered unfair T&C of  employment
being denied training opportunities, promotion, transfers, performance pay or other employment-related benefits
being unfairly dismissed, retrenched or demoted.