Bullying
Workplace Bullying
Bullying and harassment of any kind should not be tolerated. In the workplace everyone should be treated with respect. Employees cannot achieve their best when under fear of bullying and abuse.
Bullying can make an individual feel anxious and humiliated, angry and frustrated at being unable to cope with the situation. The stress, loss of self-confidence and self-esteem can lead to job insecurity, illness, absence from work and, in extreme cases, to resignation.
What is Workplace Bullying?
Examples of harassment and bullying include:
- Spreading insulting and malicious gossip and rumours.
- Constant, trivial, unwarranted criticism and fault finding.
- Overbearing supervision and the misuse of power and position.
- Being humiliated, threatened and sworn at, often in front of colleagues.
- Being isolated, excluded, ignored or sent to Coventry.
- Requests for sexual favours
- Overloading with work and the setting of unrealistic targets.
- Being denied necessary training opportunities.
- Responsibilities being taken away and replaced by menial tasks.
- Intentionally blocking promotion.
Bullying is not always face to face. It may occur also in written communications, by phone or email.
Bullying works in a cumulative way. Incidents build on previous incidents, an accumulation in which each and every incident taken alone may not appear serious. The key is that the actions or comments are demeaning and unacceptable to the recipient.