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While bullying is often associated with children on the playground, it remains a very real problem in the workplace. When it occurs it’s bad not only for individual being bullied, but the workforce and the organisation as a whole…

A worker affected by bullying may take long periods of sick leave, not perform to their potential, or leave the company altogether. A single person being bullied may also underline a wider cultural issue, where numerous people within the organisation are affected and feel unsafe in the workplace.

Creating a culture in which good management practices and communication discourages workplace bullying helps build the kind of respectful environment that encourages people to behave as adults — where they’re able to have adult conversations, including disagreements.

Recognising when you or another person are being bullied

Woman with head in her hands at work

Although there is no legal definition of bullying, behaviour associated with it may be active or passive. Examples include:

  • Aggressive or intimidating conduct.
  • Belittling or humiliating comments. 
  • Spreading malicious rumours. 
  • Teasing, practical jokes or ‘initiation ceremonies’. 
  • Exclusion from work-related events. 
  • Unreasonable work expectations, including too much or too little work, or work below or beyond a worker’s skill level. 
  • Displaying offensive material. 
  • Pressure to behave in an inappropriate way.

This behaviour must be repeated, unreasonable and create a risk to health and safety in order for it to be bullying. 

When is bullying harassment? 

Two men across a table from each other talking about something

While similar on the surface, it’s important to understand the difference between bullying and harassment. Knowing this can impact the way you, or your organisations, resolves the issue. 

Harassment is when bullying or unwanted behaviour is about any of the following ‘protected characteristics’:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Race
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation

Harassment because of pregnancy or maternity is treated differently and could be direct discrimination.

Resolving bullying in the workplace

Two men shaking hands

There will be many relatively simple situations that arise where co-workers or workers and their managers have traded words that leave one or the other uncomfortable. It might be what is
said, or perhaps the tone of voice that has led to a misunderstanding or minor conflict. 

At Converge, our mediation experts have often found that if the parties involved have a discussion closest to the actual event, they are more likely to reduce tensions and bring about a resolution. 

This might be as simple as the aggrieved party expressing how they felt in the situation, or it may be that someone has realised they are in the wrong and chooses to acknowledge it by seeking out the other party and saying: “Sorry, I was wrong to do that.” If you don’t necessarily feel comfortable on your own, you can enlist the help of someone else internally.

If the situation cannot be resolved quickly, or if the bullying continues, the next step is reporting the issue to your manager or HR about the situation.

For managers — how to deal with bullying in the workplace  

A female manager breaking up two people fighting

As a manager or HR representative, finding a resolution to an incident (or incidents) of bullying may rest on your shoulders. If you are alerted to, or witness bullying in the workplace, you should: 

  • Adopt a proactive and early intervention approach. 
  • Ask questions to develop a clear understanding of the problem to be solved. 
  • Deal promptly and fairly with reported or observed behaviours. 
  • Ensure the complainant is protected from victimisation or harassment. 
  • Provide workers with the necessary assistance and support to resolve their issues. 

After a successful resolution, monitor the situation to ensure compliance with the solution and diarise to follow up with all parties to ensure they are satisfied with the result and the issue is not likely to re-occur. 

Cultivating a respectful and positive workplace

Multiple people smiling in a meeting room

Bullying is less likely to occur if the organisational culture is one that:

  • Promotes positive leadership styles by providing training for managers and supervisors.
  • Mentors and support new and poor performing managers and workers. 
  • Facilitates teamwork, consultation and co-operation. 
  • Ensures that reasonable management actions are clearly defined, articulated and understood by workers and supervisors. 
  • Ensures supervisors act in a timely manner on unreasonable behaviour they see or become aware of.

In a positive workplace culture, differing viewpoints contribute to a healthy debate about issues if offered in a respectful and appropriate way. It’s important to understand that differences of opinion and disagreements are not examples of bullying. Reasonable management action is also not considered bullying. 

Examples of reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable manner are: leading, directing and controlling how work is done, monitoring workflow and work quality giving feedback and managing performance and recruitment, assignment, transfer and termination of employment. It is only when any of these behaviours or actions become victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening over a period of time can they begin to be classed as unreasonable or acts of bullying. 

While there are rules and procedures internally and externally for dealing with bullying, this is less likely to occur if people understand the parameters of the workplace, their own behaviour and the need to be able to have difficult discussions in a normalised way. What’s important here is not just getting something out of your system but reaching an understanding through listening to the other party. 

We know that it’s not easy for everyone and sometimes it’s more reassuring to take the first step with outside help. Call Converge on 1300 687 327. 

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