In addition to the detrimental effect it can have on individuals, workplace bullying can have a serious impact on a business’s overall culture, damage employee morale and slow productivity. Whilst many employers may think bullying doesn’t or wouldn’t occur within their businesses, CIPD research shows that 15% of employees in the UK have experienced bullying of some kind. Within this, 8% reported harassment and 4% sexual harassment. For anyone managing people, it’s essential not only to be able to identify bullying, but to establish a workplace culture where bullying behaviour is simply not tolerated. All employers have a duty of care to ensure that their employees work in a safe environment. This means being treated with respect, and experiencing a good quality of working life.
In this blog, we explore what bullying is, how to spot the signs of bullying and some of the practical steps to take to address it.
What is workplace bullying?
There is no legal definition of bullying, however, ACAS describes it as unwanted behaviour from a person or group that is either:
- offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting
- an abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone
It adds that bullying might:
- be a regular pattern of behaviour or a one-off incident
- happen face-to-face, on social media, in emails or calls
- happen at work or in other work-related situations
- not always be obvious or noticed by others
It’s important to note that whilst bullying can occur between employees and colleagues, it can also stem from external stakeholders including clients or customers. It’s no surprise that the effects can be detrimental, leading to high turnover, increased absenteeism and lower productivity.
Examples of workplace bullying
These could include:
- a constant criticism of an employee’s work or performance
- spreading rumours about that person
- undermining someone in meetings
- unbalanced workloads so that one person is overloaded
- excluding someone from social events
Bullying can also happen from staff towards someone who is more senior them (a more junior staff member towards a manager for example). This is often referred to as ‘upward bullying’. It’s often harder for the more senior employee to recognise and classify this as bullying, but it could include things like:
- showing disrespect for the person and undermining their authority
- refusing to complete tasks or requests
- spreading rumours
Often bullying and harassment are confused in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 qualifies as harassment when it relates to protected characteristics. These are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
The importance of addressing workplace bullying
Ignoring bullying is not an option. It can have serious repercussions if not dealt with, including leading to legal challenges, damaged brand reputation and eroding trust between colleagues.
How to spot the signs of workplace bullying
It’s essential to spot the signs of bullying early before the issue escalates. However, bullying can start off subtly, and often the victims are unsure or reluctant to report it due to fear of retaliation, or for the concern that their concerns won’t be taken seriously or worse, believed. This is where managers should be proactive and be mindful of warning signs.
Here are few warning signs to look for:
- Sudden changes in employee behaviour: staff could become withdrawn, anxious or depressed. They may start to avoid social or team interactions, appear nervous or just stop participating altogether in meetings.
- A rise in sickness absence: employees who are being bullied will feel stressed, leading to more time taken off work. If a previously reliable employee starts missing work frequently, this can be a sign of underlying problems.
- Performance issues: making errors, missing deadlines and failing to meet targets could be as a result of stress.
- Missing social events: isolating an individual is often a common tactic of bullies, so it’s important to observe whether an employee is frequently missing from social events and team meetings.
- Obvious conflict between team members: if it’s apparent that there’s an imbalance of power in disagreements, this could be a sign that bullying is at play.
- Complaints or feedback: whilst some staff may not come out and directly mention bullying, they may complain of a toxic working environment.
Steps to take to prevent workplace bullying
- Create and implement a robust anti-bullying policy that clearly defines the business’s commitment to protecting employees whilst at work. This should also set out how employees will be treated with dignity and respect, and the behaviours expected for this to be achieved. This should be clearly communicated with the team to build an inclusive workplace that is accepting of every individual.
- Ensure managers are trained to manage people properly, this should include being able to spot signs of bullying and how to deal with it.
- Implement a clear procedure for anyone reporting a complaint and grievance policy.
- Monitor the workplace temperature: this could be via anonymous surveys, a designated HR contact or through an external mediator.
Steps to take if workplace bullying has occurred
Once bullying has been reported or identified, it’s essential to act swiftly and decisively. This not only signals to the victim that they are supported, but signals to the team that bullying will not be tolerated.
- Investigate the complaint promptly
Don’t delay the investigation if a complaint has been made to stop the situation from escalating. Speak to the victim, the accused (or anyone else involved) and any witnesses. Ensure that your investigative process is fair, unbiased and that both parties have the opportunity to share their side of the story.
- Take the necessary action
This could include disciplinary action once the investigation has concluded. Action can range from a formal warning, performance management plan to termination (depending on the severity of the behaviour). All actions taken should be in line with your disciplinary policy. If possible, this is where the expertise of an external consultant is beneficial, such as an HR consultant.
- Support the employee
The employee should be supported and given access to mental health resources, either through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or wellbeing platforms (we work with Wellness Cloud). They should be supported in building back their confidence to feel comfortable and productive at work.
The most important element to remember is to be proactive, tackling bullying as soon as it occurs. If you would like advice and guidance on a potential workplace bullying situation, get in touch with our team.