Harassment can be characterised as unwanted conduct, where it is reasonably considered by the recipient to have the effect of violating their dignity or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, even if this effect was not intended by the person responsible for the conduct.
Harassment also occurs if a person or group acts with intention to violate a persons’ dignity or create a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, even if that effect was not felt. Harassment also incorporates sexual harassment – find out more about sexual harassment here.
Harassment is covered in law by the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the Equality Act 2010. The Dignity at Work and Study Policy provides greater detail of the definition and provides examples of how harassment manifests itself.
Some forms of harassment are considered a Hate Crime. Find out more on hate crime here.