Putting a stop to bullying

(24/11/06) I've heard a lot about bullying and harassment in recent months, but from the union's perspective, what do those terms really mean?

For most people, the terms bullying and harassment are used interchangeably.

Many definitions include bullying as a form of harassment. Generally speaking, harassment is any unwanted conduct affecting the dignity of anyone in workplace. Harassment can be related to the nationality, race, sex, sexuality, disability, religion, age or the characteristic of an individual.

Bullying is characterised as offensive. We see it as bad behaviour that has extended from the playground to the workplace. It is intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.

All employees have the right to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness. Bullying denies this. It is totally unwelcome and unacceptable.

What sort of things count as bullying and harassing behaviour in the workplace?

There's a whole range of behaviour that would constitute bullying and/or harrassment, including:

• l spreading malicious rumours;



• l insulting a person by words or behaviour on the grounds of nationality, race, sex, sexuality, disability, religion, age or belief;



• l setting a person up to fail;



• l ridiculing, demeaning or picking on someone;



• l preventing individuals progressing their career by intentionally blocking promotion or training opportunities;



• l misusing power or position, including overbearing supervision.

Bullying and harassment need not be face-to-face. It can occur in written communications such as letters and emails, while people can also experience bullying and harassment over the telephone.

If one of my members is being bullied or harassed at work, could it really affect their health and wellbeing?

People who are bullied or harassed may feel anxious or humiliated. They can develop feelings of helplessness, anger and frustration, which in turn may lead to stress, loss of self-confidence and illness.

In most cases, job performance is affected and relationships with other work colleagues suffer.

The Health and Safety Executive acknowledges that bullying at work causes stress, so it follows that victims are also likely to suffer from stress-related illness such as ulcers, suicidal thoughts and high blood pressure.

What is the legal position?

Your employer has a duty of care and is responsible for preventing bullying and harassment within the workplace. Under health and safety laws, employers have a duty to assess risks to employees and to develop and introduce policies and procedure to control the risks.

In July 2006, a landmark judgement in the House of Lords, in the case of an NHS policy worker, established that the Protection from Harassment Act does apply to workplace bullying and harassment, thus potentially giving more protection to staff.

Since policies alone will not prevent bullying and harassment in the workplace, this was an important and welcome ruling.

What can UNISON do to help anyone who is suffering?

UNISON can help represent members and take cases against the employer. In the past, UNISON has secured many lump-sum settlements for members.

But prevention is always better than compensation after the fact - branches should campaign to eradicate workplace bullying. Many branches actively participated in the 'Ban bullying at work' day on 7 November.

UNISON's new 'Ban bullying' poster has been sent out to branches, while information on bullying and harassment policies is available in the bargaining information system on the UNISON website.

Make sure that members know that they don't need to suffer in silence.

(InFocus, December)

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