Bullying In The Workplace - The Hidden Costs

Workplace bullying can be best described as repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed toward an employee, or a group of employees, that would reasonably be expected to victimise, humiliate, undermine or threaten those employees.

These types of behaviour are considered unreasonable and inappropriate workplace practice.

Bullying its not limited to loud and aggressive, suggestive, abusive or demeaning words. It can encompass behaviour that may be subtle but still offend, intimidate, degrade, humiliate, isolate or alienate an employee. This can be face-to-face, or occur in front of clients, customers or peers.

The employee may feel shame, embarrassment, guilt or fear.

Bullying can take place between:

• a worker and his/her manager or supervisor
  
• co-workers and peers
  
• a worker and another person in the workplace eg a trainee.

Examples of bullying behaviour include:

• physical abuse eg. ‘initiation rites’
  
• abuse of power
  
• verbal abuse eg. derogatory or demeaning names or comments, personal slights
  
• isolating or alienating employees
  
• intimidating or harassing employees
  
• providing impossible work assignments or deadlines
  
• deliberately withholding information necessary to perform work
  
• changing work conditions to inconvenience particular employees
  
• poorly managed conflicts of opinion or personality.

All Australian States and Territories have legislation that supports the development and maintenance of safe and healthy work environments. Both employers and employees have responsibility to ensure that safe behaviours and environments are maintained.

What happens if you turn a blind eye to bullying?

Others people’s attitudes and actions can have a significant impact on the way we feel about ourselves. This in turn affects how each of us works and interacts in the workplace.

For an individual

If bullying is not addressed it can:

• harm a person’s self-image by producing low morale and loss of confidence
  
• affect a person’s well-being and cause poor health
  
• exclude a person from productive duties
  
• isolate a person from normal work interactions
  
• impair a person’s ability to make decisions
  
• result in a person’s forced resignation.

For an employer

If bullying is not addressed it can become a significant financial and organisational drain on resources, productivity, efficiency and profitability.

How? There are significant costs to the business associated with:

• low staff morale, loyalty and commitment
  
• increased absenteeism
  
• employee counselling
  
• mediation
  
• staff turnover
  
• an unsafe work environment
  
• any legal consequences
  
• becoming “known” as a difficult workplace.

Can certain individuals be scapegoats for bullying?

There are certain situations where some people:

• have cultural constraints that do not allow them to take up their issues
  
• feel a sense of powerlessness due to their position in the organisation
  
• may suffer from low self-esteem and start to believe that their behaviour/actions have led to the bullying
  
• find it easier to give in to peer pressure
  
• are too embarrassed, or feel too intimidated, to speak up
  
• are unaware of their rights or of the workplace protocols.

No matter what the situation - bullying should never be tolerated.

Bullying should never be:

• confused with motivating a worker
  
• fobbed off as a conflict or difference of opinion to be expected in any working relationship.

Any form of workplace bullying is unacceptable.


Tips to ensure your workplace is worker-friendly

We all want - and expect - to work in a harmonious workplace. Your business should be actively committed to providing a supportive and respectful working environment where staff are valued, respected and able to realise their potential.

To do this every business should have policies or formal or informal mechanisms in place to help employees solve “bullying” problems. These should focus on negotiations, conciliation, and mediation strategies to assist in determining solutions or resolutions.

Importantly your workplace should:

Issue written policy statements that state clearly that discrimination and harassment (bullying) will not be tolerated in the workplace and that a breach will result in disciplinary action - verbal instructions to staff not to discriminate or harass are not enough.


• Train all staff on discrimination and harassment, outlining the rights and responsibilities of staff in this area - EEO training should be followed up to ensure that employees understand it and that it is being implemented.
  
  
• Make it part of the job description of managers and supervisors to ensure as far as possible that harassment and discrimination do not take place within their division.
  
  
• Put in place grievance procedures so that when employees feel that they have a grievance about discrimination and harassment, they have someone to talk to about it and can make a complaint if they wish.

Sources

ABL Lawyers www.ablawyers.com.au
http://www.whs.qld.gov.au
Workplaceinfo com.au Employers Toolkit CD

For further information
www.australianbusiness.com.au.events/calendar

For more information:

Employment Law Update: Dealing with workplace bullying www.australianbusiness.com.au.events/calendar

Employers Toolkit CD
www.workplaceinfo.com.au

Disclaimer

The information published above is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from Australian Business Limited. The information published above is intended as general information only and should not be relied on in place of specific legal or professional advice. Australian Business Limited accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may be suffered or incurred by any person acting on the information published above. For employment and industrial relations advice it is recommended that all parties seek professional legal advice from Australian Business Lawyers (tel: 13 26 96) or from independent legal advisors.

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