Employers should recognise that employees may be reluctant to complain of bullying or harassment as they may be concerned about whether or not their complaint will be dealt with effectively. Employers should therefore have in place and implement a clear policy on bullying and harassment, setting out what constitutes bullying or harassment; what steps a bullied or harassed employee can take; and the procedure that the employer will follow on receipt of a complaint.
If appropriate, the complainant should be given the option of attempting to resolve the issue informally, rather than proceeding straight to a formal grievance procedure.
As part of the procedure for dealing with a complaint of bullying or harassment, the employer should ask the complainant what action they would like to see taken to resolve the situation.
