Employers urged to tackle workplace bullying
October 31, 2006
Employers are being encouraged to tackle workplace bullying, after a survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) revealed one fifth of employees in the UK suffered harassment at work in the last two years.
The CIPD report showed that some groups were more likely to experience bullying than others, with 37 per cent of disabled workers having been bullied compared to 18 per cent of non-disabled workers.
The report also found that 29 per cent of employees from ethnic minorities have suffered harassment in comparison to 18 per cent of white employees.
"Bullying and harassment is a serious problem in many workplaces and employers need to take the issue more seriously," said CIPD employee relations adviser Mike Emmott. "It can damage confidence, morale and motivation. It can also affect employees’ health and trigger absenteeism, which damages retention rates, the employer’s reputation and the bottom line.
"Line managers need to be able to recognise signs of bullying or harassment and take action to deal with the situation before it gets out of hand," Emmott added. "Employees who are being bullied or harassed need to know how to complain, and feel reassured that they won’t be victimised if they do."
Anti-bullying charity, The Andrea Adams Trust, is running a Ban Bullying at Work day on 7 November to persuade employers to combat bullying in the workplace.
Employers can order a CD ‘toolkit’ for £35 from the Trust, which includes:
- a bullying awareness video;
- a policy and procedure guide;
- a manager’s guide to tackle bullying;
- the Equality Commission and the Labour Relations Agency's guide to workplace bullying; and
- a Ban Bullying at Work day screensaver.
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