Introduction

“The Code of practice on Protecting the Dignity of Women and Men at work (1991) describes sexual
harassment as “unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, or other conduct based on sex, affecting the
dignity of men and women at work” (Stephens, T.) p.11

“In a 2004 survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Employee well-
being and psychological contract, 13% of respondents reported being bullied and/or harassed in the
previous 12 months” (The Labour Research Department) p.5

“Bullying is a behaviour which can be defined as the repeated attack – physical, psychological, social
or verbal – by those in a position of power, which is formally or situationally defined on those who
are powerless to resist, with the intention of causing distress for their own gain or gratification”
(Thompson D., Arora T., Sharp S.) p.53

Issue: why organisations seem reluctant to tackle this issue and recommend measures that
could be implemented in the workplace to try to prevent and reduce the problem.

1. Why the companies are reluctant to tackle this issue?

“The TUC estimates that the cost of working days lost because of bullying each year is £1.3 billion.”
p.5 (Labour Research Department)

“Yet many establishments tolerate unacceptable behaviour because of the success and achievement
of certain individuals. Some companies clearly base their success on the ruthlessness of their business
practices”p.176 (Adams, A.)

“The need for proof is essential because many organisations fait to recognise bullying, even when it is
causing serious disruption within their workforce. Once a label was given to sexual harassment, on
the other hand, everyone involved with an allegation knew what they were up against.” p.116 (Adams,
A.)

“Most organisations will comply with the law, but many see their responsabilities as extending
beyond the law” p.141 (C. Rayner, H. Hoel, Cary L. Cooper)

“At present there is no single law which can be invoked to encourage employers to take positive
action on the issue of bullying. Nor can a bullied individual easily extract redress for the intentional
negative behaviour of another, which causes them extreme stress and damage.” P.79 (J. Clifton, H.
Serdar)

“However, employers have a general under health and safety law to provide a safe and healthy
working environment, which should include protection from bullying and harassment at work. Under
the common law, employers may be liable for psychiatric or psychological damage caused by
bullying or harassment at work” p.17 (Labour Research Department)

2. What are The measures which could be implemented to prevent bullying at work?

“The organisation should have a policy that relates to bullying at work, disseminate it, be able to
demonstrably implement it, monitor it, audit the process and act on any feed back received.” (Rayner,
C., Hoel, H., Cooper, C.) p.142-143
“There is no doubt that once bullying gets a grip, the employers should focus their attention on
possible clues, such as a high staff turnover, absenteeism, prolonged sick leave, and decline in
productivity” (Adams, A.) p.16

“It has been argued that a higher degree of bureaucracy, and stricter rules for laying off workers in the
public sector, may increase the value of using bullying as a strategy for circumventing rules and
eliminating unwanted persons” p.210 (Einarsen S., Hoel H., Zapf D., Cooper Cary L.)

Conclusion

“The organisation has some responsibilities in law, and we encourage a proper policy and procedure
to be adopted as this is a way of demonstrating fairness and equity which protect the organisation and
its employees.” P.142 (C. Rayner, H. Hoel, Cary L. Cooper)

References:

Thompson, D., Arora, T., Sharp, S., 2002. Bullying effective strategies for a long-term improvement.
London: Routledgefarmer.

Stephens, T., 1999. Bullying and Sexual Harassment. Bristol: Institute of Personnel and development.

Adams, A., 1992. Bullying at work How to confront and overcome it. London: Virago Press.

Rayner, C., Hoel, H., Cooper, C., 2002. Workplace Bullying. What we know, who is to blame, and
what can we do? London: Taylor and Francis Inc.

Labour Research Department, 2005. Tackling bullying and harassment at work. Labour Research
Department Booklets.

Clifton, J., Serdar, H., 2000. Bully off ! Recognising and tackling workplace bullying. Dorset: Russell
House Publishing.

Einarsen S., Hoel H., Zapf D., Cooper Cary L., 2010. Bullying and emotional Abuse in the workplace.
London: Taylor and Francis group.