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workplace bullying Workplace bullying

Unfortunately, bullying isn’t something that stops once school finishes. Workplace bullies are likely to be out there, and they could be affecting your business.

And just like playground bullying, it’s important to spot when it takes place in the workplace and take action to prevent it from happening.

 

Out of sight...

Despite past measures and legislation designed to help curb bullying in the workplace, it remains rife, costing UK businesses almost £13.75 billion a year 3. The fear, humiliation, harassment, stress and ill-health that is inflicted on victims, often as a result of senior workers taking what they feel is a ‘strong line’ with individuals4, represents a sustained form of psychological abuse.

 

...not out of mind

No employee should have to put up with such treatment, not even in highly competitive environments, such as sales, where experts agree that it is common practice.4 More often than not, bullying goes on unnoticed with many victims choosing not to complain for fear of further victimisation, being labelled ‘troublemaker’ or even losing their job. As well as being damaging, if left unchecked or badly handled, bullying could create problems for businesses, even incurring financial loss as a result of lost time, lost incentives and lost confidence within their workforce. The TUC goes as far as to say, employers who fail to tackle bullying could actually be breaking the law.5

How to spot a workplace bully

The UK’s largest manufacturing, technical and skilled people’s union, Amicus, offers a number of pointers to help companies identify bullies by looking out for signs, such as:6

  • open aggression, threats, shouting, abuse or obscenities
  • humiliation or ridicule, belittling other’s efforts, often in front of others
  • excessive supervision and excessive criticism about minor issues
  • taking credit for other’s good work but never the blame
  • reducing jobs to routine tasks that are well below individual’s skills and capabilities
  • setting impossible objectives, and reprimands for failing to deliver
  • ostracising targets or excluding them from discussions/decisions
  • anyone spreading malicious rumours about their colleagues
 

Taking action

It is up to employers to take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying in the workplace, encouraging victims or witnesses to speak up in order to help stamp it out. By recognising that bullying is an organisational issue, rather than simply a problem between individuals, it is possible to clearly set out an anti-bullying and harassment policy, and communicate it to your workforce.7

Like many companies, yours may have preventative measures already in place, but you may also wish to consider training managers in mediation and conflict resolution skills to offer additional support.

Help for employees

Whether due to bullying or other stresses originating from the workplace, your employees could also benefit from external help. They can find independent advice on the TUC website, or may benefit from the advice of a trained counsellor or psychologist. Bupa can provide this within your organisation, in complete confidence, through an employee assistance programme.

Find out more about our employee assistance programmes

 

For further information and guidance on bullying:

‘Tackling Bullying at Work’ - which you can download from:
www.cipd.co.uk/guides

The Andrea Adams Trust, which is committed to preventing workplace bullying:
www.andreaadamstrust.org

Advice on employee rights if being bullied at work:
www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_bullyatwork.cfm

Next steps

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    2 New report shows 20% of UK workers have been bullied over the last 2 years – with highest levels reported in the public sector. CIPD.http://www.cipd.co.uk/pressoffice/_articles/bullying241006.htm. Date Accessed 22 January 2007. 

    3 The cost of workplace bullying - http://www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/2008_archived_press_releases/unite_the_union_exposes_the_co.aspx , accessed 25 May 2009..

    4 Bullied at work? Don’t suffer in silence TUC. www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_bullyatwork.cfm, accessed 25 May 2009.

    5 Spot the Big Brother Bully in your workplace. http://www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/2008_archived_press_releases/spot_the_big_brother_bully_in_.aspx., accessed 25 May 2009.

    6 Amicus and DTI launch the world's largest anti-bullying project. http://www.unitetheunion.com/news__events/2008_archived_press_releases/amicus_and_dti_launch_the_worl.aspx, accessed 25 May 2009.

     

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