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Bullying can extend to contractors working on they make you feel, Acas says.
site or even job applicants. Workers can also
bully their peers. If dealing with the problem informally doesn’t
work, the next step is to raise a grievance,
However, in practice, most bullying disputes which is a way of making a formal complaint.
involve someone being bullied by their
line manager, according to Michelle Last, It’s also important to look after your mental
employment partner at Keystone Law. health. Jessica Rowson says: “If your mental
health is suffering because of the bullying,
How widespread is bullying? do try and recognise that this is an important
Unfortunately workplace bullying is fairly issue to address, and seek out medical
support from your GP, who is there to help.”
common, with more than one in 10 people
suffering, according to the CIPD’s latest
figures. How should an employer handle a bullying
complaint?
It found that 15% of employees said they were People may not report bullying because they
bullied at some point between 2016 and 2019. think it could harm their careers.
Women are significantly more likely than men So organisations must have clear procedures
to say they’ve been bullied. for dealing with bullying, and act fairly and
quickly to resolve complaints, the CIPD says.
What can employees do if they are bullied?
The CIPD says: “Speak up! It’s only by Large employers may have organised systems
with employee helplines and teams that
challenging unfair treatment that it can be handle bullying complaints, says Anne Pritam.
properly dealt with.”
For smaller companies, complaints must be
One of the first steps is to discuss the problem taken seriously and investigated, she says.
with a senior manager or HR.
If the complaint turns out to be well-founded,
Employment lawyer Anne Pritam at the problem needs to addressed - usually
Stephenson Harwood says “sometimes just through training, coaching or disciplinary
getting the issue into the open can make a sanctions.
bully back off”.
Ms Pritam says bullying is “a high-risk
“Often people who are perceived as bullies issue” and can lead employees who have
have no idea that they are seen that way, and been consistently poorly treated to resign
an informal word from HR or a more senior and sue for unfair constructive dismissal or
manager might show an employee that their harassment.
actions are having unintended consequences,”
she says.
It’s also a good idea to keep a log of bullying
incidents with dates and times, noting how BBC News
6 May 2023
