Bullying and harassment

Most companies will have their own bullying & harassment policies and it is important that you are fully conversant with the process.

The information on this website is general and will not cover the specifics of your own company’s policy, but it can offer some insight and information on the topic.

Definitions

There are many definitions of bullying and harassment. ACAS (1) characterise bullying and harassment as:

Harassment – ‘Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.’

Bullying – ‘Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.’

It is not the intention of the perpetrator that is key in deciding if harassment or bullying has occurred, but whether the behaviour is unacceptable by reasonable normal standards and is unwelcome to the person or people subjected to it or witnessing it.

So, what does bullying & harassment look like?

Bullying or harassment may be by one individual towards another or involve groups of people/colleagues or people you manage. It can be obvious as in cases of physical violence, or take a less obvious form, for example where someone is ignored or ostracised. It can be persistent behaviour over a period of time, or a one-off act and in each case, with or without witnesses.

What can you expect from your manager?

It is important for your manager to take all approaches from staff seriously, listening attentively, objectively and non-judgmentally to their issues, giving as much time where possible to get the full story and examples of the unwanted behaviour.

They should ascertain what the member of staff would like the outcome to be from any investigation. They will need to advise the staff member of their options regarding making a complaint ‘informally’ or on a ‘formal’ basis, about the Company’s Policy and any available support open to them.

In many cases it is possible to ‘nip things in the bud’ if dealt with in a timely fashion and they can be dealt with informally if the complainant agrees. Sometimes the perpetrator may have no idea they have caused offence and an apology, and a warning may be all that is required. In more complex cases ‘mediation’ might be a preferred option where an ‘outsider’ (a trained mediator) is invited to assist in the case – this is still considered an informal process.

Making a formal complaint

You will need to obtain the necessary forms and information so that you can submit the complaint. You can get these from your manager or HR department. Depending on the severity of the complaint you also have the option of taking legal action.

In order to ensure that the work environment is safe and acceptable for all it may be necessary to re-enforce agreed outcomes for the parties involved regarding the standards required within the workplace.