Posted By Robert Woods Bullying in the Workplace A recent study carried out by Stafford University, commissioned by the BBC found that of the 1137 people surveyed, 58% said they had been bullied at work, and 78% said they had witnessed workplace bullying. What is bullying? Campaigning journalist Andrea Adams has defined workplace bullying as “offensive behaviour through vindictive, cruel, malicious or humiliating attempts to undermine an individual or a group of employees”. The Graphical Print and Media Union [GPMU] say if you are enduring any of the following it is likely that you are suffering from workplace bullying. 1. Your professional ability is undermined in front of other people. This can include malicious rumours; persistent criticism; inaccurate assessments of the quality of your work; being set up for failure; name calling; unpleasant teasing; verbal or physical threats. 2. Your work is persistently disrupted. This may manifest itself as: over –evaluation; impossible deadlines; withholding of essential information. 3. You’re isolated in the workplace. You may feel that being treated as if you don’t exist, being isolated from co-workers, being refused opportunities. What can I do to stop it? You don’t have to put up with being bullied; the advice below may help to stop it. 1. Bullying thrives on silence. If you feel that you are being bullied tell them that you’re not going to accept their behaviour and that it must stop. Explain to them the specifics of your complaint and what needs to be done to rectify the problem. Sometimes a direct approach is all that’s needed. 2. Tell someone what’s going on. Most bullying goes on behind closed doors. If you are suffering on your own the first thing you should do is tell a friend or a work colleague, you may find you’re not the only one who’s suffering. If you decide to make a formal complaint to your employer always take a witness along with you i.e. a union rep or a colleague. 3. Involve your union or staff association if you have one. They should have access to the latest information regarding workplace bullying. They may be able to solve the problem before there’s a need to make a formal complaint. 4. Keep a diary. Make a record of any incident remarks etc that you consider to be part of the bullying. Single incidents or remarks may seem insignificant but can be shown as part of a pattern if you have to make a complaint. Remember to be as accurate as possible regarding what was said or done, by whom, times and dates of the incidents. 5. Inform your boss, personnel manager or HR department. If your boss is the problem tell his manager. Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act employers have a duty of care for employees health, safety and welfare, which includes minimising stress a major symptom of being bullied. Employers and Bullying As mentioned earlier the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees”. Bullying becomes a health and safety issue because one of its major effects is that it causes stress, which can lead to physical, and mental illnesses, and leave employers open to legal action. In just three cases dealt with by the courts in1997 compensation of £1,472000 was awarded to victims of bullying and harassment. The financial burden: The Department of Health estimates that the cost of work related stress is £7 billion per year. Not all of this stress is caused by bullying but research carried out in Sweden found that 3.5% of the workforce was being bullied. Employers carry a large part of this financial burden due to: · Lost time; because workers are affected by stress and ill health. · Lost incentive; because of low morale. · Lost resources; because trained and experienced people leave. The survey carried out for the BBC found that a round a quarter of the people surveyed said they had left a job wholly or partly due to bullying. Employers can reduce this burden by: 1. Having a separate policy on bullying. Bullying needs to be treated sensitively in a similar way to sexual or racial harassment 2. Emphasising a commitment to tackling bullying. A policy on bullying should clearly state the intention to eliminate bullying, not to create a mechanism to deal with complaints. 3. Focusing on bullying behaviour, Rather than labelling individuals as bullies. This can diffuse situations where people labelled bullies are not dismissed. Your policy aim should be to create a culture through education and training in which people are aware that bullying will not be tolerated and feel they have the confidence and resources to nip bullying behaviour in the bud. 4. Arranging for counselling. Although independent counselling may prove difficult for smaller employers to provide some GP’s practices offer a counselling service. Some useful contacts and addresses www.successunlimited.co.uk www.worplacebullying.co.uk mailto:bullybully@fsmail.net http://www.bullyatwork.fsnet.co.uk/ Discussion group: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/bullyatwork Robert Woods: Keighley Worksafe Project 01535 664462