Academic experts and organizations alike use a wide range of terms to describe disrespectful behaviours. This sure can get very confusing!
And so, in the service of simplicity, I have identified a continuum that describes and labels the range of behaviours at hand. Click the following link to review an image of this continuum: incivility-harassment-bullying-continnum.pdf
As you can see, Incivility is the lowest form of disrespect in the workplace.
Harassment is a more serious form of disrespect.
Bullying, with its repetitious and often intentional nature, is of even higher concern.
Finally, physical violence is the most serious of all.
In the next entries, look for a more specific definition of these terms!