Participatory activities
Identifying bullying and harassment
Role play is a powerful tool for developing empathy, allowing individuals to step into different perspectives and experience situations from another's point of view. By simulating real-life scenarios and acting out different roles, participants can learn to understand and share the feelings of others.
Ensure you create a safe place for sharing and for disagreeing well
To get the best out of any practical sessions you run with your employees, it’s important to have a good facilitator.
Role-play
We have put together some examples of scenarios that show bullying and harassment in the workplace below. Scenarios, however, should reflect your workplace culture.
Each organisation will have its own social and demographic features and role-playing scenarios should be adapted/developed accordingly.
Choose one of the following scenarios, or write your own, to work on in groups and role-play the scenario.
Consider the following questions
How would you intervene?
Is it safe to intervene?
What are the consequences of not intervening?
How can you best support the victim?
What are the best ways of communicating with people involved?
Would you use words or non-verbal communication?
Once you’ve considered these questions, role play two or three of the possible interventions you’ve discussed. Ask for feedback from the group.
Scenario One
Toni has recently been asked to go on a date by her co-worker Dave. Toni politely declined and said she’d prefer not to date a co-worker. Since her refusal, Dave often stands by her car at the end of the day and tries to engage her in conversation. This behaviour has been a daily occurrence for two weeks now. Toni is starting to feel intimated at the end of each day when she finishes.
Scenario One
Toni has recently been asked to go on a date by her co-worker Dave. Toni politely declined and said she’d prefer not to date a co-worker. Since her refusal, Dave often stands by her car at the end of the day and tries to engage her in conversation. This behaviour has been a daily occurrence for two weeks now. Toni is starting to feel intimated at the end of each day when she finishes.
Scenario One
Toni has recently been asked to go on a date by her co-worker Dave. Toni politely declined and said she’d prefer not to date a co-worker. Since her refusal, Dave often stands by her car at the end of the day and tries to engage her in conversation. This behaviour has been a daily occurrence for two weeks now. Toni is starting to feel intimated at the end of each day when she finishes.
Scenario Two
Ade has recently handed his notice in as he has been offered a new job elsewhere. Since handing in his notice, his line manager has been sending him multiple emails and messages on Teams each day asking him to complete tasks beyond the remit of his usual role on top of his usual workload. When Ade fails to deliver the work due to the suddenly increased workload, his line manager continues you bombard him with emails and threatens to contact his new employer to warn them that he can’t do his job properly. Ade feels threatened by his line manager’s actions.
Scenario Two
Ade has recently handed his notice in as he has been offered a new job elsewhere. Since handing in his notice, his line manager has been sending him multiple emails and messages on Teams each day asking him to complete tasks beyond the remit of his usual role on top of his usual workload. When Ade fails to deliver the work due to the suddenly increased workload, his line manager continues you bombard him with emails and threatens to contact his new employer to warn them that he can’t do his job properly. Ade feels threatened by his line manager’s actions.
Scenario Two
Ade has recently handed his notice in as he has been offered a new job elsewhere. Since handing in his notice, his line manager has been sending him multiple emails and messages on Teams each day asking him to complete tasks beyond the remit of his usual role on top of his usual workload. When Ade fails to deliver the work due to the suddenly increased workload, his line manager continues you bombard him with emails and threatens to contact his new employer to warn them that he can’t do his job properly. Ade feels threatened by his line manager’s actions.
Scenario Three
Sarah and Rachael both rent a chair in a hairdressing salon and work on a self-employed basis. On quiet days, they offer walk-in slots. Whenever a client walks in asking for highlights, Rachael declares to the customer that Sarah isn’t as good at highlights as her and then leads the client over to her chair. Sarah feels humiliated and undermined in front of clients. She is also losing income because of Rachael’s behaviour.
Scenario Three
Sarah and Rachael both rent a chair in a hairdressing salon and work on a self-employed basis. On quiet days, they offer walk-in slots. Whenever a client walks in asking for highlights, Rachael declares to the customer that Sarah isn’t as good at highlights as her and then leads the client over to her chair. Sarah feels humiliated and undermined in front of clients. She is also losing income because of Rachael’s behaviour.
Scenario Three
Sarah and Rachael both rent a chair in a hairdressing salon and work on a self-employed basis. On quiet days, they offer walk-in slots. Whenever a client walks in asking for highlights, Rachael declares to the customer that Sarah isn’t as good at highlights as her and then leads the client over to her chair. Sarah feels humiliated and undermined in front of clients. She is also losing income because of Rachael’s behaviour.
Scenario Four
Tina had to take two weeks off work as she contracted chicken pox from her child as she hadn’t had it as a child herself. Her colleagues did not believe that she had chicken pox as it’s unusual for adults to contract it. Instead, someone started a rumour that her pox were in fact the result of a sexually-transmitted disease. Tina was insulted, humiliated and felt the rumour was malicious in nature.
Scenario Four
Tina had to take two weeks off work as she contracted chicken pox from her child as she hadn’t had it as a child herself. Her colleagues did not believe that she had chicken pox as it’s unusual for adults to contract it. Instead, someone started a rumour that her pox were in fact the result of a sexually-transmitted disease. Tina was insulted, humiliated and felt the rumour was malicious in nature.
Scenario Four
Tina had to take two weeks off work as she contracted chicken pox from her child as she hadn’t had it as a child herself. Her colleagues did not believe that she had chicken pox as it’s unusual for adults to contract it. Instead, someone started a rumour that her pox were in fact the result of a sexually-transmitted disease. Tina was insulted, humiliated and felt the rumour was malicious in nature.
Scenario Five
Jonathan is an agency nurse who has recently been assigned to work at a hospital to cover one of the nurses who is on maternity leave. He will be working at that hospital for nine months. Given how long he will be working at the hospital, he is trying to fit in with his colleagues, but this is hard as he is the only male nurse. In August each year, the nursing staff hold a ball as a fund-raising event. Jonathan was not invited to help organise or attend the event and when he asked if he could be involved, he was told the ball was only for “proper” members of the team and they didn’t think a man would want to be involved. Jonathan reassured his colleagues that he’d like to be involved, but they held all the planning meetings without him and when he asked to buy a ticket to attend the ball, he was told it was sold out. Jonathan thinks his colleagues’ actions are malicious in nature. He feels undermined as an agency worker and offended as a male nurse.
Scenario Five
Jonathan is an agency nurse who has recently been assigned to work at a hospital to cover one of the nurses who is on maternity leave. He will be working at that hospital for nine months. Given how long he will be working at the hospital, he is trying to fit in with his colleagues, but this is hard as he is the only male nurse. In August each year, the nursing staff hold a ball as a fund-raising event. Jonathan was not invited to help organise or attend the event and when he asked if he could be involved, he was told the ball was only for “proper” members of the team and they didn’t think a man would want to be involved. Jonathan reassured his colleagues that he’d like to be involved, but they held all the planning meetings without him and when he asked to buy a ticket to attend the ball, he was told it was sold out. Jonathan thinks his colleagues’ actions are malicious in nature. He feels undermined as an agency worker and offended as a male nurse.
Scenario Five
Jonathan is an agency nurse who has recently been assigned to work at a hospital to cover one of the nurses who is on maternity leave. He will be working at that hospital for nine months. Given how long he will be working at the hospital, he is trying to fit in with his colleagues, but this is hard as he is the only male nurse. In August each year, the nursing staff hold a ball as a fund-raising event. Jonathan was not invited to help organise or attend the event and when he asked if he could be involved, he was told the ball was only for “proper” members of the team and they didn’t think a man would want to be involved. Jonathan reassured his colleagues that he’d like to be involved, but they held all the planning meetings without him and when he asked to buy a ticket to attend the ball, he was told it was sold out. Jonathan thinks his colleagues’ actions are malicious in nature. He feels undermined as an agency worker and offended as a male nurse.
The toolkit:
Identifying bullying and harassment
Our toolkit will help you start your journey towards identifying and addressing bullying and harassment in the workplace.
The toolkit:
Identifying bullying and harassment
Our toolkit will help you start your journey towards developing an active bystander culture.
The toolkit:
Identifying bullying and harassment
Our toolkit will help you start your journey towards developing an active bystander culture.
Explore more toolkits
Explore more toolkits
Explore more toolkits
© 2025 Halsden Centre Limited. A company registered in England & Wales No 15730726
© 2025 Halsden Centre Limited. A company registered in England & Wales No 15730726
© 2025 Halsden Centre Limited. A company registered in England & Wales No 15730726