Defining workplace harassment: Who is the bully?

Abstract

This paper provides a brief overview of approaches to development of legal definitions of bullying and harassment in the workplace. The paper discusses the early definitions in Sweden and reviews recent developments in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. Definitions from the European Commission and the International Labour Organisation are discussed together with the material from the on-line “bullybusting” campaigns. Definitions are analysed with a view to finding the best definition for the modern organisation. The paper includes some suggestions for confronting bullying and harassment in the short and long-term.