The health effects of harassment at work

Bullying or harassment should be stopped everywhere. ^{© Colourbox}

The symptoms of harassment at work

Psychosomatic symptoms are very common among harassed workers, including:

• Headache
• Insomnia, night mares
• Concentration problems
• Stomach pain
• Musculoskeletal symptoms
• Anxiety
• Depression

Harassment at work

When harassment starts

Low self-esteem and low job satisfaction

Harassment at work can
be lethal – causing suicide.

Prevalence of harassment

It is difficult to give exact figures for the prevalence of harassment at workplaces. European studies suggest the prevalence to be between 2 and 14 percent. The figures differ from the methods used for obtaining the information.

In some cases, researchers define harassment for the persons involved in the studies, but in other cases, this is not done. As a result, there can be substantial differences in the answers to such studies.

Developing countries

Studies showing figures from developing countries are difficult to find. This does not mean that the problem does not exist in such countries; it is just a few persons who have focused on this problem.

The problem is there and could be even more serious, as the workers in developing countries might be less protected by the legislation and have weak unions and no company routines for their support.

Does the office worker enjoy the intimacy created by her supervisor? If not, she should clearly tell him that. ^{© B.E. Moen}

If you’d like to learn more about occupational health in developing countries, check out the full online course from the University of Bergen, below.