Ousting the workplace bully: learning from experience
Our survey reveals how anti-bullying tactics make a difference, especially with top-level backing. But attempts to nip potential bullying incidents in the bud appear to be fraught with problems.
Key points
- Almost all of the 92 organisations covered by our survey have a written policy on bullying or harassment, and most of these introduced it within the past five years. More than one-third have a standalone bullying policy, while nearly half cover it within harassment guidelines.
- HR professionals say that employers should provide a strong, consistent message that bullying behaviour will not be tolerated. A supportive, independent and confidential mechanism for potential victims should also be in evidence.
- Almost all organisations use an informal approach to resolve bullying incidents in the first instance and only adopt a formal procedure if this fails. Preventative measures are less widespread, with 52 organisations offering training to line managers, 48 offering it to senior managers and just 23 to non-managerial staff.
- More than one-third of respondents said that bullying has moved up the management agenda in recent months, two-thirds have witnessed a reported bullying incident during the past two years. The most frequent outcome is an informal resolution of the alleged case.
To continue reading, register for free access now.
Register now
Already a Brightmine HR and Compliance Centre user?
Log in
