About the guidelines
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a framework for supporting employers’ work to prevent, remedy and follow up victimization and bullying, based on research and evidence-based practice. These guidelines can be useful for many different actors such as occupational health services in Sweden, staff in Human Resources or who work with personnel issues, and for managers and staff who work with issues of development and occupational health and safety.
The guidelines can also be used by unions at the central, regional, and local levels, as well as by safety representatives at various levels. Independent experts and consultants who work with the types of issues covered in these guidelines may also find the content useful. The guidelines contain a review of legislation, the status of current research, international best practices, and practical recommendations.
The guidelines are based on Swedish work environment legislation and its framework for how to counteract, remedy and follow up health risks in the organizational and social work environment. The guidelines are not designed to provide recommendations for management or remedial measures based on anti-discrimination legislation. Nor do they address judicial inquiries into misconduct in which personal responsibility or culpability are to be determined.
Although these guidelines are based on Swedish work environment legislation, the part containing status of knowledge is based on international research on bullying and harassment and the practical recommendations are both based on Swedish legislation, which also makes the guidelines useful for organizations that are not covered by Swedish legislation.