Anyone bullied or sexually harassed in the workplace can take their case to the Human Rights Commission or the Labour Relations Section, the Government said.

Workplace violence and harassment can also be reported to the Employment Violations Tip Line – with the labour ministry’s latest policy available online.

The comments came after the ministry said bullying and harassment in the workplace remained a problem.

A survey report publishedrecently by the International Labour Organisation, in conjunction with Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup, found that 23 per cent of people employed worldwide in 2021 had experienced a form of violence and harassment at work.

For 79 per cent, the last occurrence was within the past five years.

The results came from a survey of physical, psychological and sexual violence and harassment.

It is not known how widespread workplace bullying is in Bermuda and the Government statement did not contain any statistics on complaints or cases in Bermuda.

The Employment Act 2000 was amended in 2021 to provide definitions of bullying and sexual harassment, and to ensure all employers instituted a policy against them.

Not having a policy in place or not following the policy is now a contravention of the Employment Act 2000.

The Employment Act 2000 was also amended to allow for protected disclosures to be made to the Labour Relations Sections – making it easier for victims to make reports.

Questions on the policy can be sent to the Labour Relations Section at 23 Parliament Street, Hamilton HM 12, by calling 297-7716, or via e-mail to sstephens@gov.bm.