by Roryanne O'Rourke

Created on: November 30, 2010

What defines harassment in the workplace, or in any aspect of our lives?

"Of all the griefs that harass the distrest, sure the most bitter is a scornful jest." ~ Samuel Johnson; English author 

According to the Random House Dictionary, to harass means "to disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute." In the courts today, there are numerous forms of harassment cases. Certainly, sexual harassment is the one people hear about most often. It is one of the most serious forms of harassment as well. It may also be one of the hardest to prove.

 When someone makes lewd advances, either with words or gestures, toward another who clearly shows their disapproval, it is sexual harassment if they repeat the behavior. It does not have to be of a physical nature.

 Harassment no longer means what it did to the older generation. Repetitive annoying behavior is now illegal in certain situations, whether they pose a physical threat to the victim or not. We now know that victims of harassment suffer emotionally, and it can be as devastating as physical suffering.

Most people will honestly tell you that they are annoyed and bothered daily, either by other people, inanimate objects or by certain situations. Small children pester their parents. Parents annoy their adult children. Escalating violence on the news is bothersome. Buses and trains that are consistently late are enough to make people want to scream.

However, these situations are a part of life, and most people deal with it and get on with the business of living. When someone annoys, pesters or torments you to the point where you are at a loss as to how to stop it, when it is making you miserable day in and day out, that is crossing the line and is the perfect example of harassment that has gone too far.

Young children are victims of harassment, in the form of a bully. Bullies pick their target, another child they know will be easy to pick on, tease and scare easily. Once a bully sees that their victim is petrified, their harassing behavior escalates. Bullies in school continue to torment until a school official, or a parent intervenes on the child's behalf.

Bullies in the workplace are harder to deal with because as adults we believe we can take it. In addition, we may put up with it if the bully is our superior, for fear of losing our jobs if we complain about it. A harsh word of warning to the bully's superior will usually stop it, but there are those

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