Question 1

What can you actually do about bullying at work?

Accepted Answer

More than people think, though the legal position is **less straightforward than expected**: there is no standalone legal claim for "bullying" in the UK, and what protects you depends on **what the behaviour is connected to**.

**The legal landscape:**

**Harassment** related to a **protected characteristic** — age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation — is unlawful discrimination, and this is the strongest route.

**Bullying unconnected to a protected characteristic** has no dedicated claim. It may still found a **constructive dismissal** claim where it breaches the implied term of trust and confidence and you resign in response — a high-risk route requiring you to leave.

**Harassment law** outside employment can apply to a course of conduct.

**Health and safety duties** cover risks to mental as well as physical health, and stress is within them.

**Employer liability** extends to acts of employees in the course of employment, which is why raising it formally matters.

**What actually constitutes bullying:** persistent criticism aimed at the person rather than the work, exclusion, humiliation in front of others, setting impossible deadlines, removing responsibilities without explanation, excessive monitoring, and spreading malicious rumours.

**What is not bullying**, and distinguishing this matters for a credible complaint: legitimate performance management, reasonable instructions, constructive criticism, and a single instance of rudeness.

**What to do, in order:**

**Keep a contemporaneous record** — dates, what was said, who was present, the effect on you and on your work. **This is the single most valuable thing**, because bullying is cumulative and any individual incident sounds trivial.

**Check the policy**, since most employers have a dignity at work procedure.

**Raise it informally** first where safe, which policies usually require.

**Raise a formal grievance** in writing, setting out incidents and the outcome sought.

**Involve a union representative** if you have one, or a colleague — you have a right to be accompanied at formal meetings.

**Look after your health**, and see a doctor if it is affecting you, which also creates a record.

**Get free advice** from ACAS, a union or a law centre before resigning. **Do not resign first**, since that removes most options.

General information, not legal advice.

Question 2

What is a probation period and what rights do you have during it?

Accepted Answer

A probation period is a contractual arrangement at the start of a job, during which both sides assess whether it works. It is a contractual concept, not a legal status — which is the point most

Question 3

What is the difference between misconduct and gross misconduct?

Accepted Answer

The difference determines whether you receive notice — and therefore whether a dismissal is summary. Misconduct is behaviour falling short of expected standards but not so serious as to destroy the

Question 4

What is industrial action, and what makes a strike lawful?

Accepted Answer

Collective action by workers to put pressure on an employer — and in the UK it is lawful only where a detailed set of statutory requirements has been met, any one of which can render it unlawful. The

Question 5

What can you actually do about age discrimination at work?

Accepted Answer

Age is a protected characteristic, so discrimination because of it is unlawful — but it is the one characteristic where direct discrimination can be lawfully justified, which makes it different from

Question 6

How does a disciplinary procedure actually work?

Accepted Answer

Through a defined process that an employer must follow to act fairly — and the process matters as much as the substance, because a dismissal for a genuinely good reason can still be unfair if the

Question 7

What protection does whistleblowing give you at work?

Accepted Answer

Protection from dismissal and detriment for making a protected disclosure — and the protection is narrower and more technical than the word "whistleblowing" suggests, with several conditions that

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