ABSTRACT
Psychological harassment in the workplace refers to systematic acts of mistreatment, threats, violence, or humiliation directed at an employee with the intent to alienate them or pressure them into resigning. Over time, exposure to such behavior can result in significant harm to an individual’s personality and health. As such harm materializes, psychological harassment moves beyond a mere labor-related concern and becomes a matter implicating fundamental rights and freedoms. From a human rights perspective, it constitutes an interference with an individual’s physical and mental integrity, thus violating the right to respect for private life. Nevertheless, the inherent challenges of professional life must be distinguished from conduct amounting to harassment; not every difficulty or act displeasing to an employee qualifies as psychological harassment. To meet the threshold of harassment, the conduct must be persistent, arbitrary, intentional, and exclusionary, committed by supervisors and/or colleagues, and must either cause, or pose a serious risk of causing, substantial harm to the victim’s occupational standing or health.