Workplace Injury Claims

Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace Claims

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Workplace harassment and bullying can have serious negative consequences, and it can take courage to speak out or raise a grievance. Bolt Burdon Kemp’s workplace bullying & harassment lawyers specialise in defending your rights in the workplace. Whatever happened, whatever stage of your dispute you are in, we can help you to claim for the compensation that you deserve.

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What is workplace bullying and harassment?

There are no legal definitions for workplace bullying, though the Equality Act 2010 defines harassment as “unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual”.

Generally, bullying and harassment in the workplace might involve the following:

Being intimidated or threatened
Being ridiculed and made the butt of jokes
Sexual harassment and unwelcome contact
Physical assaults
Sexual assaults
Cyber-bullying
Undue punishment or criticism
Undermining you in front of colleagues
Being denied training or career progression
Being overworked and picked on
Being victimised for complaining or whistleblowing.

In very serious cases, harassment can amount to a criminal act and your bully can be investigated by the police. However, this is not a requirement to pursue a claim for compensation.

Workplace bullying is, sadly, not uncommon. A 2020 report from the CIPD found that 15% of all workers had been bullied, 8% had been subjected to harassment and 4% were sexually harassed in the previous three years.

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Your Key Contact

Thomas Beale

Head of Bullying & Harassment

Thomas leads our Bullying and Harassment team, helping people affected by workplace mistreatment. He is known for his compassionate approach, strong advocacy and commitment to client care.

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What is workplace discrimination?

Discrimination is when you are treated less favourably because of a ‘protected characteristic’ that you have. The following characteristics are protected in law by the Equality Act 2010:

Sex
Race
Age
Disability
Sexual orientation
Gender reassignment
Religion or belief
Marriage or civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity

If you can show that you have been treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic, then you may have a claim for discrimination.

Why should I contact a workplace harassment lawyer?

Everybody deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully at work. Your employer owes you a duty of care, which includes protecting you from any harm caused by your managers and colleagues, as well as providing a safe place of work.

If you have been harmed by bullying or harassment in your workplace, your career may be experiencing serious negative consequences. You may have lost earnings or your job. You may also be experiencing unhappiness, stress and even serious illness.

Even if you feel ready to fight back, getting justice can seem difficult, confusing and stressful. Whatever happened, though, you may be entitled to claim compensation for bullying at work which can start to right the wrongs and hold those responsible to account.

Our workplace harassment lawyers specialise in acting for people who have suffered due to bullying or harassment and will be able to provide you with the support that you need throughout the process.

Whatever the impact on you, our solicitors will be there to guide and advise you at every step of the way, to ensure that you are fully compensated for what you have suffered.

You will be entitled to an award for any harm that you may have suffered. This could be a physical injury, a psychiatric injury (affecting your mental state), or injury to your feelings. If you lost your job due to the workplace harassment, or the mistreatment has affected your career, you may have a significant financial claim for loss of income, benefits and pension.

Why choose Bolt Burdon Kemp?

For over 40 years, our lawyers and solicitors have helped workers to get justice in cases of harassment and bullying, including in the military. Highly qualified, our team has been lauded by the likes of Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 thanks to our exceptional standards of service and, because we are passionate about helping everyone to get justice, we offer our services on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.

Client Journeys

Six-figure settlement for senior leader pushed to breaking point by workplace failures

Our client was employed as Head of Brand for a multinational retailer. During her second year, she began reporting to a newly appointed Brand Director whose controlling and intimidating conduct caused her to develop severe work‑related stress and anxiety. She raised concerns and made a protected disclosure, and following an internal investigation, the Brand Director was dismissed. Occupational Health later confirmed that her symptoms amounted to a disability and recommended a stress‑risk assessment, but no measures were implemented. Her health deteriorated further and a Neurologist confirmed an acute stress response caused by prolonged workplace stress. She was signed off on long‑term sickness absence and has been unable to return to work. We brought a claim for damages for her psychiatric injuries and consequential financial losses, which was resolved for £162,500.

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Meet your Workplace Injury Claims Solicitors

Clients select the firm they feel is right for them, but they stay because of the solicitor. Our people pride themselves on being approachable, empathetic and realistic.

We go beyond legal advice. Whether it’s visiting clients at home to ease the burden or being available at any hour for reassurance and support, we’re here when it matters most.

Why Bolt Burdon Kemp?

Thomas Beale

Head of Workplace Bullying and Harassment

Ahmed Al-Nahhas

Head of Military Claims

Rebecca Sheriff

Partner – Part of the Abuse Claims Team

FAQs

What can I do if I am currently experiencing bullying or harassment?
If you are currently being bullied or harassed, there are some things that you can do to stop the harassment and bring to account those responsible:
- Talk to your manager about what is happening – they have a duty to investigate and escalate your concerns.
- If you can’t talk to your manager, discuss what is happening with your HR department using your employer’s formal complaints and grievance procedure. If HR isn’t available, talk to a manager who has a high level of responsibility.
- Record incidents and log any emails, texts, voicemails, screenshots and so forth that could be used as evidence.
- If you are in a union, discuss what is happening with your rep.
- If the above steps don’t work or are not possible, contact ACAS within three months of the final incident. Doing so is free and will enable you to start a claim in the employment tribunal.
How do I make a claim?

To start the claims process, contact our team for a free, no-obligation chat.

Our experts will talk through what happened to you and how it has affected you in complete confidence, before considering whether you may have a case. At this point, there is absolutely no obligation for you to continue the process if you don’t want to do so.
What is the workplace bullying claims process?
The process of making a claim with a workplace harassment lawyer includes a few steps. Throughout them all, we’ll be by your side:
1. An initial chat, with no obligation to make any decisions.
2. If we think that there is a reasonable chance of success, we may request some documents.
3. If you choose to instruct us to work on your behalf, we’ll look deeper into your case, begin our investigations and discuss funding. If we find that a case is unlikely to be a success or you don’t feel satisfied with our funding agreement, you can walk away with no charge.
4. We will contact the defendant – the person to blame – and set out your claim.
5. If the defendant accepts wrongdoing, we will negotiate compensation. If they don’t, the case may go to court . We will be able to attend court on your behalf and, if you do need to testify, we will make sure that you are supported every step of the way.
Learn more about the process
Are there time limits for making a claim?
The time limits affecting your case will depend on the type of harassment claim or bullying claim that you may have and where it is issued.

This is why it is crucial to get advice at an early stage, so that you can decide which route is best for you and what time limits apply.

Generally speaking:

Claims in the civil courts
- If your claim includes an allegation of negligence or stress at work, for example, where your employers have failed to take steps to protect you from harm, then you will have three years from the date of any injury.
- If your claim includes intentional acts of harm or violence – for example, assault or battery – then you will have three years from the date of any injury.
- If you have been bullied and/or harassed at work, this may have been intentionally designed to cause you harm, or carelessly done. Either way you will have three years to claim from the date of any injury.
- For claims under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, you have six years from the last incident of harassment, to issue your claim.
Claims in the Employment Tribunal
- For claims involving workplace discrimination in the Employment Tribunal, there is normally a three-month time limit that will run from the last incident of discrimination.
Both the Employment Tribunal and the courts are able to extend time for issuing claims in special circumstances.
Will I have to pay any fees?

If you have a bullying in the workplace claim or harassment claim that has good prospects of success in the courts, we will normally offer to act for you on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
How much compensation could I receive?

Every workplace bullying and harassment claim is different. The 16th Edition of the Judicial College’s Guidelines sets out a range of factors impacting the amount of compensation that might be awarded, such as the severity of bullying, its effects and whether the organisation was aware.

As such, we can’t give a clear idea of how much you might get before discussing the specifics with you. For an idea of how much you might get, please get in touch.

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