The prevention and combating of moral harassment is not only a legal obligation, but also an ethical obligation, fundamental to a respectful and sustainable organizational culture. Its consequences are often hidden: reputational costs, legal proceedings, fines, a loss of productivity, a low morale among teams, and an increase in absenteeism and turnover. It can also be a cause of occupational diseases due to the stress, anxiety, and burnout it causes, with the employer being responsible for repairing the resulting damages.

The occurrence of moral harassment is, above all, a symptom of failures in leadership and organizational governance: the behavior and example of leaders are crucial for its prevention. Human Resources should be the guarantor of the ethical behavior of the organization, converting policies and principles into a culture of emotional safety experienced in everyday life. To do this, they must ensure: the existence of a clear policy and codes of conduct that defend respect and dignity at work; the inclusion of these values in performance evaluation criteria and recruitment processes; regular training and sensitization of leaders and employees; and periodic monitoring of the organizational climate.

It is also essential that there are accessible, safe, and reliable reporting channels, associated with swift and impartial investigation processes that protect against retaliation. Finally, it is fundamental that complaints have consequences and that swift, balanced, and fair action is taken.

Workplace Harassment: The Fight

Moral harassment has ceased to be a backstage issue in organizations. Psychologists and human resources directors are increasingly confronted with situations where the boundary between interpersonal conflict, management pressure, and true harassment is difficult to draw, and where the cost of making a mistake is high.

The most striking feature of moral harassment is not its severity but its invisibility. It is often compared to an iceberg: only a small part is visible, since most of the behaviors that make it up, taken in isolation, seem insignificant. For a hostile conduct to be classified as workplace harassment, it is not even necessary for there to be actual harm to the victim. Waiting for “clear evidence” before acting is, in itself, a mistake in organizational diagnosis.

Its consequences do not limit themselves to individual well-being: they spread to the productivity and sustainability of the organization, causing loss of income, post-traumatic stress and depressive syndromes, and generating collective costs through absenteeism and sick leave. The victim is, as a rule, in a position of particular vulnerability and, by repeatedly reporting their experience to interlocutors who do not communicate with each other, sees their suffering aggravated. An organization without a single and coherent channel for response prolongs, in practice, the damage.
Among the practical solutions, those that stand out are: investing in training and information that allows early detection; creating mediation mechanisms led by interdisciplinary experts; recognizing that the burden of proof today falls almost exclusively on the worker, which justifies a legislative division of that burden; holding individuals responsible for their conduct, in addition to the company; and actively protecting victims and witnesses against retaliation.

The fight against workplace harassment requires a true cultural transformation that reconciles prevention, protection, and punishment. For those who manage people, the message is clear: you don’t have to wait for legislative reform to act. Investing in training, creating early detection channels, supporting victims, and holding those who harass accountable are measures that can be implemented immediately.


Isabel Paredes, Chief Psychologist, SHL Portugal
Nuno Cerejeira Dating, Founding Partner of Cerejeira Namora, Marinho Falcão, Specialist Lawyer in Labor Law

Published in Human Magazine on 30/10/2026