What is the difference between harassment and discrimination?

• A. Harassment is unwanted behavior; discrimination is unfair treatment based on a protected characteristic (e.g., race, gender).
• B. Harassment is a formal complaint process; discrimination is harassment in the workplace.
• C. Harassment is unrelated to workplace conduct; discrimination is always illegal.
• D. Harassment and discrimination both refer to compensation differences.

Answer: (A)

Harassment is about unwanted behavior. It includes actions, remarks, or other conduct that a person finds offensive or intimidating in the workplace. Discrimination, by contrast, is about unfair treatment in employment decisions—things like hiring, promotion, pay, or assignments—because of a protected characteristic such as race or gender. So the difference lies in the type of harm: harassment is the unwelcome behavior itself, while discrimination is the unfair outcome in decisions based on protected status. The other statements mix up processes or types of harm—for example, harassment isn’t a formal complaint process, and discrimination isn’t simply harassment in the workplace, nor do both terms refer primarily to compensation differences.