After reading a very informative blog by Salon Services I thought i would share this information with you,
Bullying doesn’t only happen on the school playground, it can happen at any point during your lifetime. Research conducted by the Trades Union Congress shows that nearly a third of people have been bullied in their workplace, with women more likely to be the victim of bullying than men. More than one in three people who report being bullied at work leave their job because of it, with nearly half saying that it has a negative effect on their performance at work and their mental health. You don’t want to lose exceptional members of staff due to the fact that they are made to be unhappy in their workplace. Stamp out bullying as a matter of urgency to avoid both staff and the business from suffering.
If you are a business owner who is worried about bullying in the workplace, here is what you need to know.
Bullying can come in many forms. It isn’t just face to face, it can happen behind somebodies back, on social media, via email or over the phone on a repeating basis. Rumour spreading about a staff member or social exclusion from staff social events can make that person feel isolated. Managers needs to implement a zero-tolerance policy to bullying with any incident dealt with in the appropriate manner.
Harassment such as homophobic comments, racism, religion, comments on gender and unwanted sexual advances is covered under the Equality Act 2010 and is against the law. It is of the upmost importance that this is covered in your Employee Handbook with all staff aware of the consequences should they be found guilty.
As an employer you are responsible for preventing bullying and harassment in the workplace. Everybody deserves to be happy and enjoy their work. What you can do –
- Set a good example – Do not encourage bullying in the workplace even if it is meant to be as a harmless joke. What is harmless to you might not be harmless to others
- Put procedures in place to ensure that complaints from staff are dealt with urgently
- Set a formal disciplinary policy on bullying and harassment
Bullying UK have uploaded a webinar video to YouTube if you would like to learn more please click this link