Bullying behaviour can be directed at a single person within an organisation or a number of workers at the same time. It generates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation which will lead to lost productivity, reduced self-confidence and health issues for the victim/s of the bullying.
As a business owner or manager, it’s important you address any bullying claims quickly so here are our 5 tips to help. But remember, the End2End team are only a phone call away if you need advice or support.
Tip 1: Don’t Ignore It!
While taking prompt action seems obvious, in a busy work environment it can be difficult to dedicate time to investigate claims of bullying. However, there’s a lot at stake with one Australian organisation required to pay over $500,000 to a staff member because they took 6 months to address a bullying complaint.
Tip 2: Have An Easy To Follow Policy – Then Implement It
You must have an easy to understand policy outlining your stance on any forms of bullying behaviour. It needs to be provided to all personal when they join your organisation with regular reminders about the policy issued to each staff member. We recommend you ask all team members to confirm (in writing) that they have read and understood the policy.
Implementing the policy includes investigating all claims promptly and following the policy protocols to resolve the problem. If you are close to your staff, it can be difficult to navigate the complexities of a bullying claim. As an external third party, we can support you and your staff to resolve any bullying issues within your organisation.
Tip 3: Monitor Every Incident
While one-off incidents are usually NOT considered bullying, inappropriate behaviour of any kind needs to be dealt with swiftly, before it becomes a regular occurrence. Be prepared to have tough conversations with staff or ask us to help you counsel your workers on your expectations at work.
Tip 4: Document Every Incident
To prove bullying has occurred, a worker must prove they were specifically targeted. Part of your anti-bullying policy needs to specify the information you require to support a victim of workplace bullying. To support a claim of bullying, workers need to provide:
– The date and time of each incident
– The name of any witnesses
– The details of what happened
Tip 5: Don’t Try To Be An HR Expert
As an employer, you have a duty of care to protect your staff from harm and that includes protecting them from bullying. But often, bullying is a matter of interpretation.
If you find yourself dealing with a bullying claim, don’t try to fix it on your own. Get an expert to help you, like the team at End2End Business Solutions. It starts with a simple phone call to see if we can be of assistance. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain so call us today on 02 8977 4002.