Time to Act: Reduce Bullying in the Workplace

The insidious effects of bullying in the workplace are growing.

Experts in the area speculate that at least a quarter of employees today have been affected by bullying – whether it is being bullied themselves or because they have witnessed a co-worker being bullied.

If this is correct, this is a staggering!

And the knock-on effects are just as worrying.

Bullying creates enormous problems between team members, contributes to the failure of projects, and generally reduces employee confidence in management.

It can range from something as simple as name-calling - or constant put downs between employees - to sabotaging a co-worker’s performance through rumour spreading, or forcing people to do things against their will.

Many victims are afraid to report bullying or abuse because they are worried about losing their job or simply don't want to be seen as a whinger or troublemaker.

And this is understandable, considering the US Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) reports 56 per cent of reported bullies are the victims' boss!

WBI statistics also show a further 33 per cent of employees suffering bullying report that a co-worker is the bully.

Fortunately there are effective steps that can be taken to combat this growing problem.

So, to assist anyone suffering from bullying, or wanting to stamp it out in their workplace, there follow five effective ways to reduce bullying in the workplace:

1. Take bullying seriously

Every organisation should maintain a ‘zero tolerance’ towards bullying and therefore as a leader, you need to set the standards. You can start by ensuring there is a proper workplace bullying and harassment policy in place at your organisation. This should properly define what bullying is and how to address it.

Just as importantly, the policy should be communicated to all staff clearly and often

2. Practice what you preach

Promoting the reduction of bullying in the workplace starts by practicing principles of dignity and respect, and ensuring all bullying and discrimination in the workplace is acted upon. And by showing you do not support it, you are sending a strong message to all of the bullies that what they are doing is not acceptable, and will not be tolerated

3. Respond quickly and effectively

When instances of bullying or discrimination do occur, you need to respond quickly. By immediately invoking the organisation’s bullying and harassment policy, you show the perpetrator(s) you mean business. And when they know you are serious, and that there are real consequences to their behaviour, these bullies soon sit up and take notice

4. Ensure managers are trained properly

It is vitally important managers are trained appropriately to respond to bullying or harassment complaints, especially if physical threats are involved. They must also be able to deal with each case fairly and without emotion - while the victims themselves should never feel afraid to speak up. A good tip for victims is to record detailed documentation of the incident(s) - including times, dates and names of witnesses – as this can be a big help for managers when handling complaints

5. It starts with the employee

Bullying can be very subtle and is rarely acted upon unless the person affected speaks up. Thus, the first step is to recognise whether you are being bullied or not. Take a good look at how you are being treated as an employee. If you are being treated disrespectfully, for example, the answer might be as simple as asking the person to stop.