Harassment and reporting

Employers must organize and lead the work so that no employees are subjected to harassment. If harassment does occur, the employer is responsible for following up on the incident afterwards.

Employers and managers in businesses are obliged to prevent and try to stop harassment. Employees should report harassment or discrimination to the employer or safety representative if they become aware of it in the workplace. Violations of the duty to prevent harassment are enforced by the Discrimination Tribunal. The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud and the Norwegian Maritime Authority can provide advice and guidance.

More information about the employer's duties can be found on the website of the

The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud - LDO

• Isolation and Close Cohesion: Seafarers often work on ships for long periods, far from land, and are physically isolated from society. This limits the opportunity to seek external help and makes them dependent on their colleagues for social interaction. Such conditions can exacerbate conflicts and make it harder to avoid bullying.
• Reduced Privacy: Ships often have confined spaces with little room for privacy, which can make it challenging to avoid people who bully. When people live and work in the same place, tensions between colleagues can easily escalate.
• Hierarchical Structure: The maritime profession often has a strict hierarchy where captains and officers have significant power over subordinate crew members. This structure can sometimes lead to abuse of power, where bullying goes unnoticed, especially when it is perpetrated by those in authority.
• Long-term Contracts and Uncertainty: Seafarers may be employed on long contracts or temporary terms, and the fear of losing their job can make it difficult to report bullying.
• Cultural Differences: On international ships, there is often a wide diversity of nationalities and cultures. This can lead to misunderstandings, discrimination, or unfair treatment that may escalate into bullying.
• Mental Stress: Long periods away from family, stress, and physically demanding work can make seafarers more vulnerable to mental distress, which can also contribute to a work environment where bullying behavior is more likely to occur.

Prevention involves implementing measures to prevent harassment from happening. This may include awareness campaigns, developing guidelines, and establishing an internal complaint or reporting system for harassment. The responsible party should make it clear that harassment is unacceptable and inform employees about the consequences it can have for both the individual and the work environment.

The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud provides advice and guidance on the laws prohibiting harassment. In the maritime sector, the Norwegian Maritime Authority also provides guidance and oversees the regulations. The person engaging in harassment can also be held accountable under the Penal Code, which prohibits reckless behavior.

The shipping company should have at least the following six measures in its guidelines for preventing and handling harassment and sexual harassment:

1. Assess, in collaboration with employees, what risks exist in the workplace, and implement preventive measures.
2. Develop rules of conduct.
3. Establish good routines for reporting sexual harassment and harassment, and describe how such incidents will be handled. Inform all employees about these routines.
4. Violations of routines and guidelines should result in reactions against the person responsible for the harassment.
5. The manager's responsibility to prevent and handle sexual harassment should be clear.
6. Have open conversations about sexual harassment and harassment in the workplace.

The Norwegian Maritime Authority can provide guidance and offers training on bullying and harassment.

Harassment

Harassment occurs when a person is subjected to unwanted and negative actions or expressions intended to insult, scare, degrade, or humiliate. This can include unwanted sexual attention, bullying, exclusion, or hurtful teasing and taunting. The key characteristics of harassment are that the behavior is unwanted and not encouraged.

Harassment can take many forms, with bullying and sexual harassment being the most well-known.

Bullying

Bullying occurs when negative actions are systematically and persistently directed at the same person. Bullying is a form of harassment.

Bullying can take many forms. Examples of bullying can include:

• Being excluded from the social network at work.
• Being constantly overlooked or ignored when tasks are being distributed.
• Being wrongly or excessively blamed for poor work.
• Being teased.
• Being ridiculed.
• Being laughed at.

Many may experience such incidents of harassment. While these are unfortunate situations, the incidents must occur repeatedly over time before they can be called bullying.

Sexual harassment can manifest physically, verbally, and non-verbally (e.g., body language). It can involve anything from unwanted sexual comments about body and appearance, groping, touching, to sexual assault. Showing images or videos with sexual content can also be considered sexual harassment.

It is not a requirement that sexual harassment must be repeated. Single incidents or expressions can also be harassment.

The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO) has created a guide for preventing and handling sexual harassment in the workplace. On the LDO's website, you can find more information and webinars on the subject.

Campaign to end sexual harassment - LDO

The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act does not use the term "conflict," and it is not illegal to have a disagreement with someone.

When the parties disagree, but the power relationship is balanced, it is often a conflict rather than bullying. Conflicts where two or more parties disagree about something are a normal part of human interaction and are not necessarily harmful. However, bullying is an abuse and something that should not be experienced in the workplace.

There is not always an equivalence between being in a conflict and having a workplace problem. But if a conflict is not handled well, it can escalate into bullying and harassment if the conflict becomes personal rather than objective. If the conflict escalates and someone is subjected to psychological stress, it violates the requirement in the Maritime Safety Act §1 to have a fully defensible work environment.

The important thing is that the employer addresses the situation and investigates what workplace consequences it may have for those involved. If the situation causes negative consequences for the employees, appropriate measures must be taken to restore a defensible work situation.

For the individual:
Harassment is often experienced as degrading and isolating and can lead to serious health problems for the person subjected to it. This may include mental health issues, musculoskeletal problems, and psychosomatic disorders. When a person is subjected to negative actions over a long period without the opportunity to defend themselves, the risk of such health issues increases. Seafarers are more vulnerable than land-based workers. They live and work in the same environment for long periods, without being able to leave the workplace, change their social environment, or get support from outside to avoid bullying.

For safety on board:
In addition to the consequences for the individual, bullying poses a serious threat to safety at sea. A study conducted by the Norwegian Maritime Authority on maritime safety in 2023 showed that those who have experienced bullying have almost double the risk of being involved in situations that have developed into serious accidents, or that could have led to such accidents, compared to those who have not experienced bullying. In the same group, there are also consistently more negative responses to questions directly or indirectly related to the safety of employees on board.

For reputation and productivity:
Harassment can have serious consequences for the business. It can lead to a poor work environment and increased absenteeism, both for the person subjected to harassment and for their colleagues. Additionally, it can damage the reputation and affect the productivity of the business and the entire industry. Harassment can also lead to higher employee turnover and make it more difficult to recruit new staff, which can have long-lasting consequences for both the work environment and the economy.

If you experience bullying or sexual harassment, it is important to seek help and support and report the incident. Do not stand alone - share the problem with someone you trust. This could be your supervisor, a safety representative, a good colleague, or people you know well, such as family and friends.

If it is difficult to take the matter further with your supervisor or the safety service is lacking, you can contact the HR department or other designated persons in the shore organization for the vessel. If you are a member of a union, you can contact a union representative who can help you through the process.

If you witness someone else being bullied or harassed, you should support your colleague and report the incident to the employer and safety representative. Be clear that bullying is not a private matter but something that concerns the entire workplace and needs to be addressed.

The shipping company is required to take necessary actions to prevent and handle bullying. This includes investigating all cases of bullying that are reported.

You can also send a concern or tip about critical conditions to the Norwegian Maritime Authority through our reporting service. 

Report unacceptable behaviour - Norwegian Maritime Authority

The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO) offers free guidance for anyone with questions about discrimination. They can help you find solutions to your case or direct you to the right agency if they are not the right help for you. You can also read more about harassment and sexual harassment, the employer's duties, and what you can do if you experience it.

Guidance service - LDO

Are you discriminated or harassed? - LDO

Here you will find a poster with useful tips for preventing and handling harassment at all levels: individual, group, ship leadership, and the shipping company. Print it out and hang it up on the vessel. (Page two contains a summary of regulations and the Norwegian Maritime Authority's checklist for mandatory inspections.)

• Poster Bullying and harassment A4.pdf
• Poster bullying and harassment A3.pdf

Based on bullying statistics from maritime surveys, NHO Shipping established an industry standard in 2024, supported by Norwegian Maritime Competence.

NHO Sjøfarts bransjestandard

PS! Tips us about other 

The Norwegian Maritime Authority aims to contribute to sharing information about good industry initiatives designed to prevent and mitigate risk factors in the work environment.

Feel free to suggest other measures and campaigns that we can inform about on this page.