"Harassment" is a general term that encompasses bullying, sexual harassment, and other forms of misconduct that may occur in the workplace.

Harassment in the workplace occurs when one or more individuals subject others to behavior that is grossly offensive or repeated, and that is perceived by those individuals as degrading.

Harassing behavior can take the form of both active actions and omissions. Harassing behavior in the workplace may include, for example, withholding necessary information, spreading rumors, or excluding someone from social and professional circles.

When the Danish Working Environment Authority refers to abusive behavior in the workplace, including bullying and sexual harassment, it means actions that occur between employees, and between employees and their supervisors.

On March 4, 2022, the government and the social partners entered into a “Tripartite Agreement on Initiatives to Combat Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.” To prevent abusive behavior in the workplace, and sexual harassment in particular, there should be an increased focus on sexual harassment and other abusive behavior in workplace health and safety assessments. If problems involving offensive behavior have occurred in the workplace, management and employees or the occupational health and safety organization must discuss specific measures to address the violations and prevent recurrence.

As a manager, you need to help prevent and address abusive behavior, but it’s not always an easy conversation to start.

Tips for Managers

Here are nine tips on how leaders can address the issue and initiate positive change in the workplace:

• Be a good role model.
• Make it clear that offensive behavior is unacceptable.
• Deal with offensive behavior in the workplace.
• Encourage dialogue about appropriate behavior and tone. Remind employees that a professional tone should be maintained in the workplace and that there should be room for diversity.
• Create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up.
• Take inquiries seriously.
• Discuss instances of harassment on an ongoing basis, for example during performance reviews and staff meetings.
• Be open during employee reviews and help ensure that employees feel comfortable approaching you to discuss any experiences they may have had with offensive behavior.
• Be alert to signs of distress among employees, such as feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem, tension, anxiety, anger, reports of sleep problems, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, feelings of guilt and shame, and shock.