Sadly, unfair treatment in the workplace is not uncommon. Most people will experience bullying, harassment, or discrimination at some point in their working life.

It can be difficult for employers to speak up when they feel that they are being treated unfairly. It’s often intimidating and stressful trying to stand up to an employer. As a result, many people don’t end up taking action.

Despite it being scary standing up for yourself, it’s important to stop the injustice in its tracks. Your health and well-being are on the line. By taking action, you can put a stop to the difficulties that you are facing in the workplace so that you can start to enjoy your work once again.

Here are some things that you can do if you are experiencing unfair treatment and retaliation in the workplace.

If You’re Being Bullied

Bullying may be described in a number of ways. It may involve ongoing abuse, harassment, humiliation, or abuse of power. These things may occur in person, over the phone, on social media, or via email.

If you are being bullied in the workplace, you should let the person who is bullying you know that their behavior is making you uncomfortable. This might resolve the issue by itself but if it persists after this point, you may need to escalate the issue to the management team.

Inform your line manager or somebody in the HR department. Write a formal complaint that details the nature of the bullying, the dates and times of the events, and any witnesses. This documentation can be used by your manager to determine the next steps.

If You’re the Victim of Discrimination

Discrimination can occur due to a number of factors. It involves unfair treatment based on your:

• Gender
• Sex
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Sexual orientation
• Religious beliefs
• Political beliefs
• Marriage or civil partnership
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Military status

If you feel that you are being treated unfairly due to one of the above ‘protected characteristics’, you may need to escalate the issue to the Industrial Tribunal or contact an employment lawyer to take action against the perpetrator of the discrimination.

If You’re Being Harassed

Harassment can come in a range of forms. It may involve bullying, discrimination, or unwanted sexual advancements. For something to count as harassment, it must either violate your dignity, humiliate or intimidate you, or be offensive in one way or another.

Harassment can be repetitive spoken and written words, or physical actions and behaviors. If you have kindly asked the person to stop what they are doing and they have continued to harass you, you will need to take further action.

As you would if you were being bullied in the workplace, you should record the date, time, and witnesses of every harassment event that occurs. This will be used as evidence when you escalate the issue.

This may involve reaching out to your manager, making an appeal at the Industrial Tribunal, or taking legal action with an employment lawyer.