Bullying at Workplace on the Rise
Unison conducted a survey recently to assess the risk of bullying at workplace. The results showed that the number of bullying incidents have doubled since 1997. Out of the seven thousand workers who participated in the survey, one third said they experienced bullying at workplace on a regular basis. Eighty percent of the workers who experienced bullying reported that it had a negative effect on their physical and mental health.
A majority of the respondents were of the view that bullying has become a part of the workplace culture. This may include rudeness, intimidation, excessive monitoring etc. In each case, the motive is to harass the worker, and ninety one percent of the workers said that they were afraid to report such behaviour because they feel it may worsen the situation. The general feeling is that bullying at workplace is not taken seriously and so the defaulters get away with this type of behaviour without punishment.
The seriousness of the matter can be understood from the fact that 13.7 million working days are lost each year due to the negative effects of bullying. Some people take time off, as they are unable to take it and suffer from stress, while others are forced to look for different jobs.
Dave Prentis, Unison’s General Secretary, says that Unison will take an active role to change the attitude of the employer towards bullying at workplace. He adds that employers should realise that employee safety at workplace is of prime importance and should ensure that people who bully do not get away with it. Unison will try to push for legislation so that employers are forced to adopt policies against bullying. This will help the bullied workers to get justice, believes Prentis.
All organisations need to make appropriate efforts to protect the well-being of staff. CIPD courses are easily accessible and accredited training is provided by reputable companies such as Workplace Law; the Certificate in HR Practice imparts training and help to managers in the preparation of appropriate policies and procedures to successfully help employers tackle bullying and stress in the workplace.
