Workplace harassment: What to do if it happens to you

Legal and HR professionals offer advice for employees who find themselves a target of abuse or bullying at work

Workplace harassment can constitute many types of behaviour, including psychological, physical and sexual. Getty Images

Victims of workplace harassment are being urged to speak up, as legal and HR professionals emphasise the UAE’s strong legal framework for combatting such cases.

Under local law, any behaviour that creates a hostile work environment violating an employee’s dignity and mental and physical well-being is considered workplace harassment. The UAE Labour Law and various federal laws, create a comprehensive system designed to protect workers’ rights and dignity in the workplace.

Sarah Brooks, founder of UAE consultancy Fikrah HR, said it is important to understand that many behaviours can be classified as harassment. However, she said “it’s not necessarily the giver who decides it’s harassment – it’s the receiver”.

Offences include offensive or discriminatory behaviour directed towards any employee or group of employees, including acts of sexual harassment, physical or verbal abuse, bullying and discrimination based on race, colour, gender, religion, national origin, social origin or disability.

“You have every right to feel safe and respected at work,” Ahmad Al Khalil, partner at Abu Dhabi law consultancy Crimson Legal, told The National. “You aren't alone and there are clear steps you can take to protect yourself. The entire experience is unnerving but remember that UAE law is on your side and provides strong protections against all forms of harassment.”

What constitutes workplace harassment?

Almost 23 per cent of people globally in employment have experienced violence and harassment at work, according to a 2022 analysis by UN labour and human rights agency the International Labour Organisation, Lloyd's Register Foundation safety charity and Gallup.

The study, the first of its kind, measured experiences of harassment, whether physical, psychological or sexual, and found that 17.9 per cent of employed men and women said they had experienced psychological violence and harassment during their careers. In comparison, 8.5 per cent had faced physical violence and harassment, which was particularly prevalent among men.

More than six per cent reported facing sexual violence and harassment. Young women were twice as likely to have faced sexual violence or harassment than young men. More than three of five victims said they'd experienced violence and harassment multiple times.

Briar Jacques, co-founder of Dubai mental health clinic The Free Spirit Collective, said there have been shifting parameters of what constitutes workplace harassment over the past couple of decades. She defines it as when somebody is distressed based on the behaviour of a colleague in the workplace that crosses their boundaries and makes them feel psychologically unsafe.

“That’s going to be a different level of stress for every person,” she told The National. “Some have a thick skin for this, and some people are really sensitive to having their boundaries violated.”

Ms Jacques said she sees people “quite often” in her clinic who have experienced some form of workplace harassment. “I experience people with what we call 'small-t trauma' from different situations that have occurred for them in the workplace where they feel they have had their boundaries violated,” she said. “Cliques, people using coercive control, using techniques like freezing people out … if people have a tendency to fall back on these kind of toxic behaviours, they will, unfortunately, and I see it quite often.”

‘I was so scared’

Kate, found herself the victim of workplace harassment for the first time in her early 20s. She was working with a firm in DIFC when a high-ranking and much older manager touched her inappropriately after the rest of the team had gone home.

“I remember, I couldn’t feel my hands and my legs wouldn’t work,” she told The National. “It was disgusting.”

Kate, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, managed to leave the situation and never returned to that job, but she didn’t feel confident enough to report what had happened.

It took years of therapy for Kate to come to terms with what had happened. She also found herself the victim of toxic behaviour in other workplaces, including being the target of continuous chauvinistic comments and exploitation by another boss.

Lisa, not her real name, also reported facing a variety of harassment situations and attempts at intimidation throughout her seven years working in the communications field in the UAE. These included verbal abuse, such as yelling and name-calling by line managers, being excessively monitored and personally disparaged in performance reviews.

"I was threatened to have my salary withheld for not wanting to serve a full month's notice period during probation," she told The National. "This was prior to the change in laws in 2022. I was never paid the salary and ended up walking out upon receiving the threat."

Kate said she believes it’s important to acknowledge your feelings in these situations. “If somebody is going through abuse ... and you think to yourself, ‘this is not right’, then you will think … ‘but’. You should never listen to the ‘but’,” she said. “If you’re not feeling comfortable, you’re not comfortable. If you’re feeling exploited, you’re exploited. If you’re feeling harassed and not comfortable, it is those things.”

Best HR practice

Ms Brooks, who has worked in the Gulf for 17 years, has dealt with several cases of workplace harassment and finds it common for companies to lack a structure for individuals looking to step forward. Sometimes a company might have policies in place, but employees don’t trust the process, she added.

The 2022 global analysis found that only half of victims worldwide had ever disclosed their experiences, with the most common reasons given for keeping quiet were that it was a “waste of time” or “fear for their reputation”.

From an HR perspective, it’s imperative for companies to have structured grievance processes that allow employees to feel safe enough to come forward, said Ms Brooks. “It can be something small, like, ‘My boss keeps putting me on the same Saturday night shift and nobody else does it’, through to a harassment situation. There’s got to be a reporting line in place for that.”

There should also be a whistleblowing policy to support individuals who want to come forward anonymously, she added. “It doesn't necessarily need to be the person on the receiving end who reports it and it could be somebody witnessing it who says, ‘I've seen this person being bullied and harassed, and it needs to be resolved’.”

As per the law, employers bear significant responsibilities in preventing and addressing workplace harassment, said Mr Al Khalil. “The law mandates them to implement comprehensive anti-harassment policies, establish clear reporting mechanisms and conduct regular training programmes to prevent harassment. Not just that, employers must respond effectively when conducting investigations, while maintaining confidentiality.”

What to do if you’re being harassed

Employees across the UAE have the right to file formal complaints, to protection against retaliatory termination and to maintain confidentiality during investigation processes, said Mr Al Khalil. “In cases of severe harassment or assault, employees have the right to terminate their employment contracts without notice while retaining their full legal rights to end-of-service benefits and potential compensation.”

Workers are encouraged to utilise internal procedures first, reporting incidents to their immediate supervisors or HR departments, but if they don’t find enough support within their organisation, then the law provides for external recourse through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. This has a dedicated hotline for filing complaints and, in criminal cases, the police offer additional support. Legal aid services and labour court assistance are also accessible, said Mr Al Khalil.

“Penalties for harassment are notably severe under UAE law,” he added. “Disciplinary action can include termination, while legal penalties may involve criminal charges, particularly in cases of sexual harassment or assault. For expatriate workers, serious violations can result in deportation, adding an additional layer of deterrence in the UAE's multinational workforce.”

If anyone feels they are being harassed at work, the first crucial step is to immediately begin documenting everything, said Mr Al Khalil. This includes dates, times, locations and witnesses of each incident and “save all relevant communications or evidence”, he added.

Also make sure to keep copies of all submitted complaints and request written acknowledgement, and seek advice early from the ministry and a legal professional who specialises in UAE labour law. “Throughout this process, it is important that the employee avoids sharing details on social media and deleting any evidence, even if it's uncomfortable,” he added.

The most common mistake people make is delaying reporting and documentation, said Mr Al Khalil. “Victims wait too long to report incidents, hoping the harassment will stop on its own, or let fear and shame prevent them from acting until it's too late. They often fail to document and record harassment incidents. Communication errors frequently damage cases, particularly when victims discuss their situation on social media, share details with multiple colleagues or respond emotionally to harassers. Many also make procedural mistakes like bypassing company grievance procedures, quitting their jobs without proper documentation or failing to collect written witness statements.”

Legal missteps are particularly damaging, such as not consulting experts early enough, accepting settlements without proper review or signing documents without full understanding, Mr Al Khalil added.

“People also often let harassment cases affect their professional performance, missing work without documentation or engaging in retaliatory behaviour. In the UAE's unique cultural context, failing to consider local norms and legal procedures, using inappropriate complaint channels or ignoring established hierarchical structures can significantly impact the case's outcome.”

You might not always get the justice you want, but speaking up is never a wasted effort, said Ms Brooks. “If you make this complaint, it might help someone else, as there might be other individuals facing the same problem and the same behaviour from this person … If there are multiple voices, [the company] might take it more seriously.”