Third-party harassment
No one should be subject to harassment, abuse or bullying at any time, let alone at work, says the TUC. Yet half of all workers have experienced either bullying, sexual harassment, abuse, violence, or a combination of these, while at work.
The TUC believes that all workers have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at work. Any form of abuse, harassment or bullying is unacceptable, whether from a colleague, from a manager or from a member of the public.
A new TUC guide looks at this issue of third-party abuse and harassment and explains: what it is; how it manifests and its impacts; and what unions and employers should do to prevent it
A third party can include:
• a customer — such as in a shop, a restaurant, a train passenger or a hotel guest;
• a client — such as in a meeting, or when visiting someone’s home to care for them;
• a patient — such as in a hospital;
• a business contact — such as in a meeting or at a conference; or
• any non-directly employed staff — such as contractors or agency workers.
The TUC guide says unions should publicise the support they can offer to members in all cases of harassment, abuse and bullying using a variety of channels so everyone can access support no matter what their job, location or contract type.