Harassment at work – what can I do?

Short answerBeing unsure does not mean nothing is wrong. What matters in assessing harassment is not what the other person intended, but whether the conduct was unwanted and whether it created a degrading, intimidating or hostile environment. If you regularly go to work tense, that in itself is a signal.

A few questions that may help you get clearer:

• Could you tell the other person to stop — and if not, what are you afraid of?
• Would you repeat what was said, word for word, to that person’s spouse, or to your manager’s manager?
• Has your own behaviour changed: do you avoid the person, have you changed how you dress, the route you take, or your working hours?
• Is the same person doing this to anyone else?

If the answer to any of these is yes, it is worth taking seriously. “I’m probably just being oversensitive” is a common way of explaining it away — and it is often wrong.

Short answerSafety comes first. You do not need to gather evidence before you report: if you can do so safely, it is worth documenting what happened as soon as possible, but do not delay raising the matter simply because you do not yet have proof of everything. What is worth thinking through is who you go to, because your direct manager is not always the right route.

1. Safety. If there is a physical danger, or if what happened may amount to a criminal offence, you can ask the police for help. In immediate danger, call 112.
2. If you can do so safely, write down what happened. The date, the time, the place, what was said — word for word where possible — who was present, and how it affected you. Ideally on the same day. Your own dated record can serve as evidence; how much weight it carries is assessed by the authority or court dealing with the case.
3. Consider who it is safe to speak to. If your direct manager is involved in the matter, do not go to them. There may be another manager, HR, a designated contact person, a trade union, a works council, or the occupational health service.
4. Report when you are ready. Having every piece of evidence in hand is not a precondition for reporting. Documentation helps, but it is not a prerequisite.
5. Keep relevant documents safely. What comes from you or is addressed to you — your own correspondence, messages sent to you, your own notes — you can generally keep. Do not forward documents containing other people’s personal data, client data or trade secrets to a private account. If a document is only partly relevant, take a screenshot of the relevant part rather than saving the whole file. If it is not clear what you may lawfully keep, seek legal advice.
6. Ask for support. Do not carry this alone. An outside professional, a helpline or a colleague you trust can make the decision easier.

Short answerEvidence is anything that supports the event or its effect: emails, chat messages, your own note written on the day, witnesses, medical or psychological documentation, and rota or working-time records. Audio recording is more complicated, so it is worth seeking legal advice first.

What can generally be done safely

• Your own dated written note, made on the day of the event — you can email it to your own private account, which puts a timestamp on it.
• Keeping relevant work communication in a lawful and safe way. Do not forward other people’s personal data or trade secrets to a private account without good reason.
• Medical or psychological documentation of symptoms. This can matter in demonstrating the effect of what happened, for example in a claim for damages or for a grievance award.
• Approaching witnesses, and recording who saw what.

An honest word about audio recording

A conversation you are yourself part of is not the same as covertly monitoring others, but making an audio recording can still raise personality rights and data protection questions. A recording may serve as evidence; however, as a general rule a court may not rely on evidence obtained unlawfully, although in certain cases it may weigh whether the evidence can be used. For that reason it is worth seeking legal advice before recording — from an employment lawyer, or from the PATENT Association legal aid service.

Your own dated note can be important in supporting your account, but the weight it carries is always assessed in the particular proceedings.

Short answerThere is no single deadline that applies to every harassment case. It depends on whether you want to raise the matter with your employer, bring proceedings for a breach of equal treatment, pursue an employment-law claim, resign with immediate effect, or report a criminal offence. Each of these is subject to its own, different deadline.

What it applies to	Deadline
Raising the matter with your employer	There is no general statutory “deadline for reporting harassment”. Internal policy may set a stricter rule. Delay can, however, make the case harder to prove.
Proceedings for breach of equal treatment	Within 1 year of becoming aware of the infringement, and at most 3 years from when it occurred (Equal Treatment Act, Act CXXV of 2003).
General employment-law claim	As a general rule, a 3-year limitation period (Hungarian Labour Code, Section 286).
Challenging an unlawful termination in court	As a general rule, 30 days from communication of the employer’s decision (Hungarian Labour Code, Section 287).
Resignation with immediate effect by the employee	May be exercised within 15 days of becoming aware of the cause, and as a general rule at most within 1 year of the cause arising (Hungarian Labour Code, Section 78).
Criminal offence	There is no general “deadline for reporting”. The limitation period for criminal liability depends on the offence: under the general rule of the Criminal Code it follows the upper limit of the applicable sentence, but is at least 5 years. For certain sexual offences committed against a minor, the limitation period runs from the victim reaching adulthood.

Short answerSeveral routes are open, and they do not exclude one another. Applying to the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights is free and can be relatively quick where the case falls under the Equal Treatment Act. For a criminal offence, the police; for an employment-law claim, the courts.

Where	When and what for
Commissioner for Fundamental Rights — Directorate-General for Equal Treatment	Where the case involves harassment or other discrimination connected to a protected characteristic under the Equal Treatment Act. Since sex is a protected characteristic, sexual harassment directed at women generally falls here. The procedure is free. Since 2021 this body has carried out the tasks of the former Equal Treatment Authority.
The court hearing employment cases	For employment-law claims: unlawful termination, unpaid wages, damages, grievance award. The time limit for filing needs particular attention; legal representation is advisable.
Police (112 or the local station)	If a criminal offence has taken place. There is no separate offence called “sexual harassment” in Hungarian criminal law, but the conduct may meet the definition of, for example, sexual coercion (Criminal Code, Section 196), sexual violence (Section 197), indecent exposure (Section 205) or harassment (Section 222); bodily harm or defamation may also arise.
Employment supervision and occupational safety authorities	For breaches of employment rules — working time, rest periods, payment of wages — the employment supervision authority. Conditions for work that does not endanger health, including psychosocial risks, fall to the occupational safety authority. Both are reached through the competent government office.
Trade union, works council	If one operates at your workplace. It can provide representation and advice, and a trade union officer enjoys enhanced protection under employment law.
PATENT Association — legal aid service	Specifically for legal questions: the law, how procedures work, and the options for enforcing your rights. Free and anonymous. Written enquiries: jog@patent.org.hu. Their website is in Hungarian.
NANE Association	For violence against women, sexual violence and harassment: information, a supportive conversation, and referral onwards. Their information pages are available in English; the association states that its helpline takes calls in Hungarian.

Short answerRetaliation can be any detrimental measure applied because you raised or reported the matter: work taken away, unjustified exclusion, a worsening appraisal, an unfavourable posting, or termination of employment. Whether it qualifies as retaliation in law also depends on which statute the report falls under and what protected situation is involved.

Act XXV of 2023 prohibits detrimental measures against a person making a lawful report that falls within its scope. The Equal Treatment Act separately regulates retaliation where a person suffers harm for objecting to a breach of the equal treatment requirement, for bringing proceedings, or for taking part in them.

What you can do

• Document the position before the report: performance appraisals, task lists, meeting invitations, correspondence.
• Document the position after the report, along the same lines.
• The difference between the two may be the strongest evidence there is. An appraisal that reads “excellent” for three years and then suddenly “needs improvement” after a report speaks for itself.
• Raise the retaliation as a separate matter. Do not merge it with the original report.

Short answerHow witnesses react also shapes whether harassment becomes the norm in a team. You do not have to confront anyone, and you do not have to investigate. Three things matter: interrupting the situation, asking the person afterwards whether they are all right, and writing down what you saw.

1. In the moment: interrupt. You do not have to challenge anyone. A simple diversion can be enough: “Sorry, could I borrow you for a minute?” Breaking the situation can end the scene by itself.
2. Afterwards: ask if they are all right. Do not label the situation, do not play it down (“oh, he’s always like that”), and do not tell them what to do. This is enough: “I saw what happened. It wasn’t all right. I’m here if you need me.”
3. Write down what you saw, with the date. This may be the single most important piece of evidence in the case, because you are an outsider. Write it down even if the person does not want to act now.
4. Ask whether you may report it. Reporting without the person’s agreement can rebound on them: it can take away their control in a situation where control is exactly what is missing. The exception is where you see a criminal offence, or a matter involving a minor.
5. Do not carry this alone either. Witnesses can be affected too. That is not weakness; it is an understandable reaction.

Short answerYou too are entitled to a fair procedure and to a defence. Ask to be told what conduct is being complained of, and to be given a reasonable opportunity to respond and to put forward evidence. Confidentiality of the investigation matters, but the timing of what you are told has to be determined on the basis of the applicable law and the interests of the investigation.