Labor Law — Israel
Workplace Harassment and Bullying in Israel
Your Rights
Systematic humiliation, unreasonable demands, or hostile exclusion at work is not something you have to accept. Israeli law gives you meaningful remedies — statutory damages, constructive dismissal, and personal liability for the harasser.
What Constitutes Workplace Harassment Under Israeli Law
The Equal and Dignified Work Law (2000) is the primary statute governing workplace harassment in Israel. It prohibits conduct that humiliates, demeans, or threatens an employee in a systematic or persistent manner. Qualifying behaviours include: regular public belittling or ridicule, assigning unreasonable or impossible tasks designed to set the employee up to fail, deliberate exclusion from meetings or communication channels, issuing threats about employment status, and creating an environment of fear or hostility.
Israeli courts distinguish workplace harassment from sexual harassment, which is regulated separately under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law (1998) and carries its own remedies. However, a harasser may be liable under both statutes if the conduct overlaps.
Critically, the law imposes a positive obligation on the employer — not merely to refrain from harassing employees, but to actively prevent harassment, publicise anti-harassment procedures, and investigate complaints promptly. An employer who creates a culture where harassment is tolerated, or who retaliates against a complainant, faces significantly higher exposure in litigation.
How to Claim for Workplace Harassment
Internal complaint procedure: The first step is usually to submit a written complaint to the employer's designated harassment officer or HR. The employer is legally obligated to investigate within a reasonable time and to take protective measures. Filing a formal complaint creates a paper trail, triggers the employer's duty to act, and strengthens a future legal claim if the employer fails to respond adequately.
Constructive dismissal: If the harassment makes it impossible to continue working, resigning may be treated as dismissal for cause. This entitles you to full severance pay, notice pay, and related rights. Courts apply a strict test — the conduct must reach a threshold that no reasonable employee could be expected to endure — so documenting the pattern and taking legal advice before resigning is essential.
Suing for damages: A claim may be filed in the Regional Labour Court (Beit Din La'avoda) against the employer and/or the individual harasser. Statutory damages under the Equal and Dignified Work Law range from NIS 50,000 to NIS 120,000 without proof of financial loss. Additional damages for emotional distress, medical treatment, and lost earnings can be claimed on top.
Evidence to collect: A detailed incident log (dates, times, witnesses), emails and messages, medical records from a treating psychologist or GP, prior warning letters or performance reviews that were part of the harassment campaign, and records of any formal complaints you submitted. The stronger the documentation, the higher the likely damages award.
Frequently Asked Questions — Workplace Harassment in Israel
Common questions about workplace harassment and bullying under Israeli law
You Do Not Have to Accept Harassment at Work
Free Initial Consultation — Labor Law
Adv. Liron Yitzhak Elmaliach — Jerusalem