Bystanders

Below are some things a person who witnesses workplace harassment can do:

• Decide if it is safe and appropriate to intervene – do not make yourself a target.
• If you can intervene, tell the harasser directly and firmly that their behaviour is unacceptable. For example ‘I did not find that funny’ or ‘That is not ok’
• Distract if you cannot intervene – ask the person being harassed an unrelated question.
• Find help from another person in the workplace to assist the person.
• Talk to the person who has been harassed and offer your support. This can be done right away. You can also decide to wait and get information and advice about how to proceed.
• Document what you saw and heard. This could also include preserving relevant information by doing things like taking screen shots of texts, printing out emails, keeping photos, videos and copies of other offensive materials.
• Follow up with the person being harassed and offer to report what you saw.