How Can My Friend Handle Chronic Harassment from Toxic Coworkers and Protect Her Health?

Chronic Workplace Harassment and Its Impact

Today, I am here to share a story about a friend who is suffering from chronic backstabbing, cruelty, bias, discrimination, mistreatment, and misbehavior. [Toxic co-workers] are intolerable to work with or be around for an extended period. Initially, I thought she needed to be calm and cooperative with her coworkers. Nonetheless, in such a toxic environment, she could not adjust, and now she is suffering from some chronic ailments caused by stress and lack of cooperation from her employer and coworkers.

Now, when she has been prescribed complete bed rest by her doctor, her supervisor and coworkers keep calling her to get work done. Even if it’s just one or two emails a day, this is not healthy for an employee who is sick. As if these things weren't enough to make her ill, one of her coworkers called her today and told her it would have been better if she had been feeling sick due to COVID-19. They mentally harassed her over the call about her condition and threatened her that she could lose her job.

She was so broken by all this. I just want to ask each one of you today, aren’t we living in a harassment-free nation where each one of us has the right to raise our voice against such incidents? But she is more worried about losing her job. Worse yet, working with a toxic co-worker can negatively impact her personal life, health, and even derail her career if these people are allowed to continue their behavior.

Seeking Advice: What Actions Can Be Taken?

So, what’s the best action she can take against such people? Please suggest.

Filing Harassment Complaints

The aggrieved woman employee cited in the post must file her harassment complaints with her employer or superior. She can also send a copy of her complaints to the internal committee constituted at her workplace. The aggrieved woman complainant shall be given all reasonable opportunities by her employer and the internal committee towards the redressal of her complaints. This process should also serve as a lesson or deterrent for others who are not aware of the consequences of their actions at the workplace and arising out of employment. Let the truth be ascertained, and the workplace restored as a safe and secure environment.

Regards, Harsh K Sharan, Kritarth Consulting, 28.5.2020

Dear colleague, this is a mind-blowing case—many individuals coming together to harass a single person. Even superiors are also part of it. Why have relationships ruptured to this toxic extent? Unless all those who have ganged up against a colleague are paranoid, it is difficult to figure out why they are behaving like this.

She should fearlessly escalate this matter to higher-ups, apprise them of the situation, and request them to intervene to prevent serious damage to the well-being of the rest of the staff.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR and Employee Relations Consultant

Dear Madam,

Your post does not convey that it is a case of sexual harassment at the workplace, as some are led to believe. Therefore, the reference to the Internal Committee is out of place.

The solution possibly lies in making enough noise against those who are involved in inflicting mental harassment, either by the lady herself or someone capable of taking up her cause, maybe a whistleblower.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR and Employee Relations Consultant