Firms should have a zero tolerance policy towards bullying and harassment at work

The recent Court of Appeal decision on Veakins v Kier Islington (case ref 2009 EWCA Civ 1288 CA) provides guidance on what kind of conduct constitutes harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (PHA). The Act prohibits individuals from pursuing a course of conduct against another that they know, or ought to know, amounts to harassment. Harassment is not specifically defined, but case law has shown it can include alarming someone or causing distress.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School