Workplace%20Bullying

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Workplace Bullying

• Prevention and Skills to Recognise Key Factors in
  Your Workplace

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Learning Objectives

• Understanding workplace bullying
• Identify if you are being bullied or a bully
• Identify risks
• Employee responsibilities
• Impact on health
• Support systems
• Preventive strategies and how to approach
  bullying
• Case studies

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What is Workplace Bullying?

• Repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed
  towards a worker or a group of workers that
  creates a risk to health and safety.
• A single incident may not be considered workplace
  bullying but is may have the potential to
  escalate and should not be ignored.

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Are You being Bullied?

• Bullying can include
• Abusive, insulting or offensive language or
  comments
• Unjustified criticism or complaints
• Deliberately excluding someone from workplace
  activities
• Withholding information that is vital for
  effective work performance
• Setting unreasonable timelines or constantly
  changing deadlines
• Setting tasks that are unreasonably below or
  beyond a persons skill level
• Denying access to information, supervision,
  consultation or resources to the detriment of the
  worker
• Spreading misinformation or malicious rumours
• Changing rosters and leave with the intent to
  inconvenience

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Not Bullying Behaviour

• Performance goals
• Allocating work hours
• Transfer for operational reasons
• Not selected for promotion when reasonable
  process is followed
• Informing about unsatisfactory work via
  management guidelines
• Advising of inappropriate behaviour objectively
  and confidentially
• Organisational changes or restructuring
• Taking appropriate disciplinary action

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Employee Responsibilities

• When approaching your supervisor
• Duty of care to report any bullying
• Take reasonable care of your health and safety
• Be mindful of your actions or omissions
• Cooperate with the policies and procedures
  implemented by your company such as a workplace
  bullying policy

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Identifying Risks

• Observing or experiencing unreasonable behaviours
  from other workers
• Increase in social strain at your workplace and
  outside of work
• Experiencing lack of feedback, unreasonable
  pressure and excessive unjustified criticism
• Unable to define your role
• Timelines for projects are too short

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Impact on Your Health

• Workplace bullying can cause physical and mental
  illness
• Depression, anxiety, decrease in confidence
• Headaches, backaches, sleep and digestive problems

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Support Systems

• Internal
• Supervisor or manager
• If your supervisor is bullying you, then meet
  with their manager
• Nominated contact officer if available
• Human Rights Commission
• Fair Work Commission
• Workcover
• External
• Family and Friends
• Union
• Employee Assistance Program

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Preventive Strategies

• Company policy on workplace bullying and code of
  conduct
• Induction and ongoing training
• Discuss with supervisor or HS representative
  about workplace bullying
• Discuss how bullying reports will be responded to
  and how to provide evidence
• Seek where to go for further information and
  assistance

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How to Approach Bullying?

• Directly
• If you feel comfortable and safe, then you can
  approach the individual who is bullying you
• Seek intervention from a trusted co-worker or
  manager
• Formal complaint
• Keep a record

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Case Studies

• Ed is having difficulty maintaining dead lines
  for projects, which results in his new supervisor
  to talk with him about his work performance.
• His supervisor recommends additional training to
  improve his management and core skills. Ed feels
  this is unreasonable because of his experience
  and becomes distressed and develops problems
  sleeping.
• Ed files for worker compensation for stress
  related injury
• Do you think Ed has experienced workplace
  bullying? Explain?
• What approach should Ed have taken after his
  meeting?

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Case Studies

• Janes supervisor routinely gives her tasks that
  are not related to her role. She is starting to
  develop physical signs of distress as her manager
  criticises her work performance and shortens
  timelines on projects.
• Jane feels that she will lose her job if she
  confronts her manager.
• How should Jane respond with the bullying
  situation?
• If you were Jane what approach would you take to
  diffuse the situation?
• What could your support system look like?

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Summary Clip

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vwAgg32weT80featur
  eplayer_detailpage

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Resources

• Dealing with Workplace Bullying A Workers Guide
• http//www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/abou
  t/publications/pages/workers-guide-workplace-bully
  ing
• Bullying Prevention Kit
• http//www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/
  publications/Pages/bullying-prevention-kit.aspx
• Dealing with Workplace Bullying A practical
  guide for employees
• http//www.stopbullyingsa.com.au/documents/bullyin
  g_employees.pdf

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References

• Safe Work Australia, November 2013. Guide for
  Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying
  http//www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/abou
  t/publications/pages/guide-workplace-bullying