Beating the bullies
Everyone is under pressure at work now
days but for many people work is made a living hell by the
workplace bully. Although the law has addressed some forms of
bullying, particularly sexual and racial harassment, it's not
always easy to get the bully off your back. So what is bullying and
what can you do if it happens to you.
Bullying may consist of behaviour ranging
from overt shouting/threats and physical assaults, to more subtle
ways of undermining confidence and self esteem, such as repeated
unjustified criticism, making the person the butt of humour (even
if supposedly friendly), spreading rumours against a person and or
sending them to Coventry or repeatedly picking on differences
between that individual and their colleagues.
If the behaviour makes a person feel bad then
the behaviour is likely to be bullying, although it's not always
clear cut. I'vedealt with more than one case where two
employees thought each was being bullied by the other - by the
other one staring at them too much (arguably an issue of
interpretation).
This example also shows that what one person
thinks is bullying is often not meant by the other. Often the
problem is really about communication and interpretation: it's good
to talk.
A first step for if you think you're being
bullied is to try to calmly ask the bully to change their
behaviour, explaining why it is unwelcome. If this cannot be
done, or has been done and failed, the next step is to report the
bullying to a named contact, who will then assist the person in
talking to the alleged bully in the hope that explaining the effect
of their behaviour might resolve the problem with out the need for
a disciplinary hearing (which is stressful for the victim as much
as for the bully).
If the behaviour continues the complaint
should be dealt with through a disciplinary procedure. It may
be necessary to protect the victim from contact with the bully
while the complaint is being dealt with.
If bullying is related to a person's
sex/sexuality/race/nationality/religion/disability it is in breach
of discrimination legislation. For others they might struggle for a
legal remedy unless the bullying leads to the loss of their job, or
a stress illness. Even in these cases claims can be hard to
win.
In all cases it is best to seek help from a
union representative or solicitor as early as possible. If
the employer does not respond appropriately, then a grievance
should be lodged as soon as possible. Delay might rob you of a
legal remedy.
Whether or not bullying is a problem at your
work place, you should be protected by a 'Dignity at Work' policy,
which covers bullying, and all forms of harassment. Before
taking the steps above, check if you are covered by such a
policy.
