October is bullying prevention month, but while most might think bullying should be an issue for schools and parents, bullying also takes place for adults, most often in the workplace.
In fact, in recent years, workplace bullying, and harassment has been on the rise, with one 2019 survey conducted by Monster.com revealing that 94% of the 2081 employees surveyed had experienced bullying in the workplace.
Workplace bullying and harassment can be well hidden and easily passed off as ‘workplace banter’. And, in an environment where many employees now inhabit a more virtual version of the workplace, bullying has become even more prevalent online.
Unless victims come forward, it can continue to become part of a workplace culture that buries bullying behaviours under the rug. In this post, we’ll highlight what constitutes workplace bullying and outline how HR teams can advocate a dignified and respectful environment, make themselves more aware, and help victims of bullying and harassment in the workplace come forward.
What is workplace bullying?
Bullying, unlike harassment, doesn’t have a legal definition, meaning it is often harder to identify, and more difficult to control. In essence, though, bullying constitutes unwanted behaviour that could be classified as intimidating, offensive or malicious or behaviours that victimise a person or a group.
Bullying doesn’t have to be ongoing patterns of behaviour, it can be an isolated event, and it could be happening both online and via digital channels. Likewise, bullying could be taking place in your physical place of work, or it could be happening out of hours, or at work-related events and gatherings.
How to recognise bullying at work
It’s important for HR leaders and line managers to know the signs of bullying behaviour at work. It’s equally important to ensure those behaviours are taken seriously and are not simply passed off as ‘workplace banter’. Workplace bullying can manifest itself in the following behaviours:
- Patronising or undermining an individual or group during work meetings
- Humiliating someone or a group of colleagues
- Spreading rumours or false information about a person at work
- Posting insulting or humiliating content on social platforms
- Sharing private photos of an individual or group in a derogatory manor
- Repeatedly and publicly undermining someone’s authority
Preventing a bullying culture at work
Whether we want to see it or not, bullying is still a prevalent issue in the modern workplace, and with cyberbullying a relatively new problem for today’s workforce, now is the time for HR leaders to pay attention. Whether or not your employees experience bullying in the workplace could shine a light on your organisational culture. Being aware, and taking action is the first key step in preventing a culture of bullying in your workplace.
Take action
One of the worst things an organisation can do in terms of workplace bullying is turn a blind eye. Sweeping bullying under the rug simply tells the perpetrator that their behaviour is okay and sends a message to victims that they won’t be supported. HR leaders have a duty of care to make sure employees feel safe, heard, and respected in their place of work. If they fail to do so, they’ll not only let their workers down, but they could also put staff in danger, by not addressing threatening behaviour. Either way, ignoring bullying will impact your bottom line, and the integrity of the business as employees lose faith and respect in their employer, and good workers could already be jumping ship.
Create a culture of respect
Addressing bullying in the workplace is about prevention. Business leaders must promote a positive, nurturing environment where staff feel respected in their day-to-day work, and during any events that take place outside of working hours. HR leaders should audit their approach to equality, fairness, and respect in the workplace, and outline a comprehensive policy with a clear agenda that bullying, will be met with a zero-tolerance approach. Likewise, leaders and managers must educate their workforce, but also outline these policies during the onboarding process, so that every member of the team fully understands what constitutes bullying, cyber bullying or harassment, and what is expected of them.
Offer support when it’s needed
Providing an open, judgement-free platform for victims of bullying to come forward is essential. If a complaint is passed off as simply ‘workplace banter’, it can make that employee feel even more vulnerable, victimised and ultimately much more likely to seek another role elsewhere. Employees should be confident that there is a procedure for formally making a complaint, and that that complaint will be taken seriously, and addressed quickly. Likewise having and identifying a specific person, or department, trained to deal with unacceptable behaviour in the workplace is crucial, as victims will have more faith that their grievance will be addressed professionally.
Bullying is a difficult issue to manage, as it is easy to assume workers are all adults and capable of coming to their own agreements. However, in an increasingly digital workplace, bullying at work is becoming hard to spot, and even more difficult to police, meaning you rely on victims being able to come forward.
Shining a spotlight on your workplace culture, and asking employees if your workplace feels like a safe space, is a good starting point to identify what you could be doing to prevent bullying at work.
