Anti-Bullying Week: Defining and tackling bullying in the workplace

If, like many HR practitioners, you find dealing with bullying in the workplace a complex issue, this edition of The Change Maker’s Newsletter will make things easier for you.

But you also know that bullying is currently not against the law. We previously talked about the proposed Bullying and Respect at Work Bill that aims to, among other things:

• Break the cycle of bullying at work by providing a legal definition of bullying at work for the first time?
• Protect employers from the financial costs of bullying in the workplace stemming from stress, depression and anxiety which contribute to workplace conflicts
• Extend the powers of the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) to investigate, report and issue enforcement notices

This Bill could be of monumental help to HR and ED&I leads wanting a framework they can use to address bullying in their organisation.

However, in the meantime, there are ways you can still implement a culture of anti-bullying, including but not limited to:

1. Defining what you believe constitutes bullying and ensuring everyone knows this. This could also mention cyberbullying, micro-aggressions and outline how bullying differs from banter, which it can often be passed off as.
2. Building an anti-bullying policy that lays this definition out, your procedures for dealing with reports of it, and consequences that come from it happening. This can be framed around your anti-harassment policy, which should be similar and abides by the law.
3. See how your policies and procedures are also victim-centred. How are those who are bullied supported and how is the situation mediated if that is a course of action they want to take?
4. Train managers to lead conversations around anti-bullying and to deal with them, or to understand whether they are perpetrating it. Statistics show bullying is more often than not hierarchical and few managers know how to deal with it if it happens in their team, but we also know top-down leadership and examples from them are essential for change.
5. Make it safer for people to speak up if they experience or witness bullying. More victims are staying silent when bullied than those who are disclosing it, often only doing so in surveys; ours revealed 2 in 5 (40%) have experienced bullying and we've seen reports with figures as high as 70%. But how many of them have reported it to their employer? From our research and knowledge from our partners, giving people a platform to report anonymously helps massively.

Bullying - from "low level" incidents through to full-on harassment - affects people and their mental health and wellbeing, as well as an organisations' reputations and bottom line. By taking it seriously, companies can transform their cultures making their workplaces a space where their people belong and feel safe to speak up if they don't.

If this is something you are looking to do, reach out to our team who will be more than happy to assist!