Advice hotline: Bullying and harassment in the workplace

A guide for paid staff and volunteers (unpaid staff)

November 2008 | The Centre for Volunteering

The effects of bullying in the workplace should never be underestimated. The Centre for Volunteering's Advice Hot Line receives calls from both paid and unpaid workers asking what they can do to counter bullying in the workplace. Paid staff reporting they are being bullied by volunteers and volunteers that they are being bullied by paid staff. Fortunately this does not happen very often but when it does, the person phoning is always very upset.

Bullying and harassment is defined as:

"Bullying is a largely hidden problem in the workplace, often taking place behind closed doors and without witnesses. The effects of bullying can be devastating to the health and well-being of those exposed to it and the cost to organisations in terms of lost productivity and staff turnover can be substantial.

A bully is defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary as "a person who uses strength or power to coerce others by fear" and that to bully is to "oppress, persecute, physically or morally by (threat of) superior force."

Examples of bullying behaviour include unfair and excessive criticism, publicly insulting victims, ignoring their point of view, constantly changing or setting unrealistic work targets and undervaluing their efforts at work." (New South Wales Industrial Relations)

"Unreasonable and inappropriate workplace behaviour includes bullying, which comprises behaviour that intimidates, offends, degrades, insults or humiliates an employee, possibly in front of co-workers, clients or customers and which includes physical or psychological behaviour.

Harassment occurs when a person engages in unwelcome or uninvited conduct that targets a person because of a personal characteristic, or focuses on a personal characteristic such as race, gender, disability, sexuality or age and which causes another – with that personal characteristic – to feel offended, embarrassed, humiliated or intimidated where a reasonable person would, in the circumstances, anticipate that the person would feel that way." (The Law Society of NSW)

However it is important to note: "Workplace bullying and harassment does not include reasonable management action taken in a reasonable way in accordance with Department policies and procedures in connection with the person's employment." (DET NSW)

It is the responsibility of management to ensure that correct procedures are followed in all workplaces to ensure problems of this nature can be identified and properly managed. An Occupational Health and Safety manual setting out policies, procedures that all participants in the work place can understand and follow is essential. This should cover all aspects of bullying and harassment. Paid staff and volunteers should also understand they have a responsibility to ensure that their behaviour meets the required standards to ensure a safe and productive workplace.

Sources

www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/workplace/discrim/bully.html

www.lawsociety.com.au/uploads/filelibrary/1094446976781_0.9084470818783515.pdf

www.det.nsw.edu.au/aboutus/epac/relatedissues/wkplacebullying/index.htm

www.workcover.act.gov.au/pdfs/guides_cop/Bullying_Guide-Final.pdf