Any form of bullying or harassment is never okay. Everyone deserves a safe and respectful environment.
If you experience or witness bullying or harassment, please speak up and seek help. You are not alone, and support is available.
Bullying
Bullying is the repetitive, intentional harming of one person or group by another, and can be physical, verbal, non-verbal, or psychological. Examples include:
- Shouting, ridiculing, or using sarcastic remarks
- Physical or psychological threats
- Overbearing and intimidating supervision
- Inappropriate or derogatory remarks about someone’s performance
- Deliberately excluding someone from meetings or communications without good reason
- Posting bullying content on social media
Harassment
Harassment is unwanted conduct that violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. It can be physical, verbal, or non-verbal, intentional or unintentional, and includes treating someone less favorably for submitting to or refusing such behaviour in the past. Examples include:
- Unwanted physical contact such as touching or invading personal space
- Offensive or intimidating comments, gestures, or jokes
- Mocking or belittling someone’s disability
- Racist, sexist, homophobic, or ageist jokes or remarks
- Outing or threatening to out someone as part of the LGBTQ+ community
- Deliberately excluding someone from conversations or activities
What's the difference between Bullying and Harassment?
While both bullying and harassment involve harmful or intimidating behaviour, there are some key distinctions:
Repetition vs. Single Incident
- Bullying typically involves a repeated pattern of behaviour aimed at humiliating or harming a specific target.
- Harassment can occur through a single incident or repeated actions and is defined more broadly as unwanted conduct that creates an intimidating or offensive environment.
Intent and Effect
- Bullying is usually intentional and targeted, focusing on exerting power or control over someone.
- Harassment may be intentional or unintentional. Even if someone didn’t mean to offend, the effect on the target—or anyone who feels affected—can still be considered harassment.
Scope of Behaviour
- Bullying often involves direct aggression—physical, verbal, or psychological—aimed at undermining the victim.
- Harassment includes a wide range of unwanted behaviour (touching, offensive jokes, belittling comments, exclusion, etc.) that violates a person’s dignity or creates a hostile environment.