What do you call the persistent or malicious harassment aimed at a specific person?

Remember: A single act does not constitute abusive conduct, unless especially severe and egregious.

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Language or behavior that frightens, humiliates, belittles or degrades the recipient or target may be part of a pattern of workplace bullying. For example:

• Persistent or egregious use of abusive, insulting, or offensive language
• Aggressive yelling or shouting
• Unwarranted physical contact or threatening gestures
• Making repeated negative comments about a person’s appearance, lifestyle, family, or culture
• Regularly inappropriately teasing or making someone the brunt of pranks or practical jokes
• Circulating inappropriate or embarrassing photos or videos via email or social media

Behavior that undermines a person’s work performance, working relationships, or perceived value in the workplace may also be part of a pattern of bullying. For example:

• Unnecessarily interrupting or disrupting someone’s work; inappropriately interfering with a person’s personal property or work equipment
• Repeatedly discounting a person’s statements in group meetings; unfavorably comparing one person to others
• Blaming a person for problems they did not cause
• Taking credit for another’s contributions
• Spreading misinformation or malicious rumors
• Purposefully inappropriately excluding, isolating, or marginalizing a person from normal work activities

When the bully is a supervisor, the pattern may also include:

• Assigning tasks that are beyond a person’s skill level
• Establishing unrealistic timelines, or frequently changing deadlines
• Denying access to information, consultation, or resources
• Excessively monitoring an employee’s work
• Giving feedback in an insincere or disrespectful manner
• Repeatedly reminding someone of past errors or mistakes
• Inconsistently following or enforcing rules, to the detriment of an employee
• Ignoring an employee, or isolating them from others
• Denying equal access to earned time off

The Department is dedicated to promoting a workplace that provides equal opportunities for all and is free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. To help employees avoid actions and/or statements that can be considered inappropriate, it’s important to fully understand these behaviors:

DiscriminationThe differential treatment of an individual or group of people based on their race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), age, marital and parental status, disability, sexual orientation, or genetic information.  
 HarassmentUnwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. Harassment becomes unlawful where enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment or the conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. “Sexual” harassment is a particular type of harassment that includes unwelcome conduct such as sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or dates, remarks about an individual’s appearance, discussions, remarks or jokes of a sexual nature, and/or other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer. 
 Harassing ConductUnwelcome conduct, verbal or physical, including intimidation, ridicule, insult, comments, or physical conduct, that is based on an individual’s protected status or protected activities under Personnel Bulletin 18-01, when the behavior can reasonably be considered to adversely affect the work environment, or an employment decision affecting the employee is based upon the employee’s acceptance or rejection of such conduct. Protected status is defined as an individual’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, family medical history (including genetic information), status as a parent, marital status, or political affiliation. Protected activity includes reporting harassing conduct, discrimination or retaliation; filing a claim of harassment; providing evidence in any investigation; or intervening to protect others who may have suffered harassing conduct, discrimination or retaliation.
 RetaliationTaking an action that might deter a reasonable person from participating in activity protected by antidiscrimination and/or whistleblower laws. Protected activity includes: complaining about discriminatory or harassing behavior; disclosing/reporting violations of law, rule or procedure or fraud, waste or abuse; and participating in discrimination or whistleblower proceedings (such as an investigation or lawsuit). Retaliatory actions are not limited to formal personnel actions such as termination, demotion, non-promotion, or non-selection. Retaliatory actions are broadly defined to harassing behavior, significant changes to job duties or working conditions, and even threats to take personnel actions. Retaliation against employees who engage in protected activities under Personnel Bulletin 18-01 is also prohibited by that policy.