BULLYING:

PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT

Jenny Wong
Clinical Psychologist
BULLYING

 Definition
 Incidence
 Impacts
 Public Sector research
 Managing bullying – employee and employer
 Resolution
 Resources
Workplace counterproductive
behaviours

 Property theft and related behaviour,

destruction of property,
misuse of information
 Production misuse of time and resources,
unsafe behaviour, poor
attendance,
presenteeism, alcohol & drug use
 Interpersonal harassment, bullying,
aggression, violence
 Political gossip, favouritism, blaming
behaviours
Definition of bullying

The four main elements of bullying are:

 It is a workplace conflict
 It is enduring and repeated
 It is inappropriate and possibly aggressive
 It results in physical and/or psychological
distress
What is bullying?
 Bullying at work can be defined as repeated
unreasonable or inappropriate behaviour
directed toward a worker, or a group of
workers, that creates a risk to health and
safety
 Due to the effect on the safety and health of
employees and others at the workplace,
bullying is unlawful under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act 1984
What is bullying?

 Intentional
 Unintentional (ie, the instigator may not be
aware that their behaviour causes offence,
intimidation, or distress)
What is bullying?

 Overt
 Covert
What is bullying?
 Direct verbal and physical threats
 Unfair use of disciplinary and assessment procedures
 Blocking access to promotion, training, overtime, etc
 Setting impossible deadlines and targets
 Withholding information essential to do the job properly
 Excessively tight supervision
 Public humiliation including being shouted at
 Persistent and undue criticism including inaccurate accusations about quality of
work
 Undermining responsibility
 Abusive references to age, sex, race, disability or other personal characteristics
 Spreading malicious rumours
 Physical isolation from other workers
What's the difference between bullying
and harassment?
Harassment:
 Has a strong physical component, eg contact
and touch in all its forms, intrusion into personal
space and possessions, damage to
possessions including a person's work, etc
 Tends to focus on the individual because of
what they are (eg female, black, disabled, etc)
 Usually linked to sex, race, prejudice,
discrimination, etc
 May consist of a single incident or a few
incidents or many incidents
 The person who is being harassed knows
almost straight away they are being harassed
 Everyone can recognise harassment, especially
if there's an assault, indecent assault or sexual
assault
 Often reveals itself through use of recognised
offensive vocabulary, eg ("bitch", "coon", etc)
 Almost always has a strong clear focus (eg sex,
race, disability)
 The harasser often lacks self-discipline
Bullying:
 Usually psychological (eg criticism), may become
physical later stages
 Anyone can be targeted, especially if they are
competent, popular and vulnerable
 Although bullies are deeply prejudiced, sex, race
and gender play little part; it's usually discrimination
on the basis of competence
 Is rarely a single incident and tends to be an
accumulation of many small incidents, each of
which, when taken in isolation and out of context,
seems trivial
 The person being bullied may not realise they are
being bullied for weeks or months - until there's a
moment of enlightenment
 Few people recognise bullying
 Workplace bullying tends to fixate on trivial criticisms
and false allegations of underperformance; offensive
words rarely appear, although swear words may be
used when there are no witnesses
 The focus is on competence (envy) and popularity
(jealousy)
 The bully is driven by envy (of abilities) and jealousy
(of relationships)
How do I recognise a bully?
 Bullying is not a gender issue
 Jekyll & Hyde nature - vicious and vindictive in private, but
innocent and charming in front of witnesses; no-one can (or
wants to) believe this individual has a vindictive nature - only
the current target sees both sides
 Uses lots of charm and is always plausible and convincing
when peers, superiors or others are present; the motive of the
charm is deception and its purpose is to compensate for lack of
empathy
 Displays a great deal of certitude and self-assuredness to mask
their insecurity
How do I recognise a bully?
 Exhibits much controlling behaviour and is a control freak
 Displays a compulsive need to criticise whilst simultaneously refusing
to acknowledge, value and praise others
 When called upon to share or address the needs and concerns of
others, responds with impatience, irritability and aggression
 Often has an overwhelming, unhealthy and narcissistic need to portray
themselves as a wonderful, kind, caring and compassionate person, in
contrast to their behaviour and treatment of others; the bully is
oblivious to the discrepancy between how they like to be seen (and
believe they are seen), and how they are actually seen
 Has an overbearing belief in their qualities of leadership but cannot
distinguish between leadership (maturity, decisiveness, assertiveness,
trust and integrity) and bullying (immaturity, impulsiveness, aggression,
distrust and deceitfulness)
How do I recognise a bully?
 Aggressive, devious, manipulative, spiteful, vengeful, doesn't
listen, difficulty sustaining mature adult conversation, lacks a
conscience, shows no remorse, is drawn to power, emotionally
cold and flat, humourless, joyless, ungrateful, dysfunctional,
disruptive, divisive, rigid and inflexible, selfish, insincere,
insecure, immature and deeply inadequate, especially in
interpersonal skills
 It is estimated that one person in thirty has this behaviour
profile
 They are usually described as having a disordered personality:
an aggressive but intelligent individual who expresses their
violence psychologically (constant criticism etc) rather than
physically (assault)
 For a small percentage of most workforces, the best supportive
leadership practices and team climate will not influence whether these
individuals exhibit bullying.
 These people often have personality difficulties, but there are also
some people for whom are at a place in their work experience for
which none of these organisational behaviours will have an impact.
When this occurs, it is critical to utilise clear communication and
expectations about what behaviour is expected of these individuals
and others.
 Using existing regulations and behavioural guidelines as found in the
APC Code of Conduct, the Certified Agreement, the APS act and
internal HR protocols is critical because essentially these individuals
need to know where the line in the sand is, and what the
consequences will be if they continue to cross that line
Why do people bully?
 The purpose of bullying is to hide inadequacy. Bullying has nothing to do with
managing etc; good managers manage, bad managers bully. Management is
managing; bullying is not managing. Therefore, anyone who chooses to bully is
admitting their inadequacy, and the extent to which a person bullies is a
measure of their inadequacy. Bullies project their inadequacy on to others:

a) To avoid facing up to their inadequacy and doing something about it;

b) To avoid accepting responsibility for their behaviour and the effect it has on
others, and, 

c) To reduce their fear of being seen for what they are, namely a weak,
inadequate and often incompetent individuals, and,

d) To divert attention away from their inadequacy - in an insecure or badly-

managed workplace, this is how inadequate, incompetent and aggressive
employees keep their jobs.
 Bullying is present behind all forms of
harassment, discrimination, prejudice, abuse,
persecution, conflict and violence
A bully is a person who:
 Has never learnt to accept responsibility for their behaviour
 Wants to enjoy the benefits of living in the adult world, but who
is unable and unwilling to accept the responsibilities that are a
prerequisite for being part of the adult world.
 Abdicates and denies responsibility for their behaviour and its
consequences (abdication and denial are common features of
bullying)
 Is unable and unwilling to recognise the effect of their
behaviour on others
 Does not want to know of any other way of behaving
 Is unwilling to recognise that there could be better ways of
behaving
What is NOT workplace bullying?
Legitimate Managerial Actions
 Performance management processes
 Action taken to transfer or retrench a employee in a fair and equitable
manner
 Justified decisions not to provide a promotion in connection with a
employees’ employment
 Disciplinary procedures for proven misconduct, and other behaviour or
actions involving proven breaches of discipline or code of conduct
 Managed business processes, such as, workplace change or
restructuring conducted in consultation with the employees and their
representatives, which is required under the NSW Occupational Health
and Safety Act 2000 (‘the Act’)
 This does not cover situations where a worker has a legitimate
grievance about management actions, taken in a reasonable way
Incidence of bullying

Estimates reported in European, UK, US, and

Australian reviews vary widely:
Range = 6% to 74%
 Definitions vary
 Emotive issues
 Many factors influence reporting
 May vary significantly across industry sectors and
between organisations
 Some questionnaires confound behaviours and
emotional responses
Incidence of bullying

APSC State of Service data 2005-06

 16% of Commonwealth Public Sector
employees reported being harassed or
bullied in the previous 12 months
 Of harassment/bullying cases investigated,
approximately 50% of cases were supported
The impact of bullying

 The culture of an organisation can either lift agency

performance or inhibit the achievement of outcomes
and the demonstration of appropriate values,
attitudes, and behaviours
 The impact of bullying harassment or unacceptable
behaviour can lead to severe psychological damage
to an employee. Management has a legal obligation
under the OH&S Act to have in place control
measures to prevent psychological hazards.
The impact of bullying

 In the Commonwealth jurisdiction, workers’

compensation claims where bullying or
harassment is the cause of the injury make
up about 25% of all psych injury claims
 Workers’ compensation claims for
psychological injury are the most expensive
type of claim
What does bullying do to my health?

Bullying causes injury to health and makes you ill:

 Constant high levels of stress and anxiety
 Frequent illness such as viral infections especially flu and glandular fever,
colds, coughs, chest, ear, nose and throat infections (stress plays havoc with
your immune system)
 Aches and pains in the joints and muscles with no obvious cause; also back
pain with no obvious cause and which won't go away or respond to treatment
 Headaches and migraines
 Tiredness, exhaustion, constant fatigue
 Sleeplessness, nightmares, waking early, waking up more tired than when you
went to bed
 Flashbacks and replays, obsessiveness, can't get the bullying out of your mind
 Irritable bowel syndrome
 Skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, athlete's foot, ulcers, shingles,
urticaria
What does bullying do to my health?

 Poor concentration, can't concentrate on anything for long

 Bad or intermittently-functioning memory, forgetfulness, especially with
trivial day-to-day things
 Sweating, trembling, shaking, palpitations, panic attacks
 Tearfulness, bursting into tears regularly and over trivial things
 Uncharacteristic irritability and angry outbursts
 Hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia), being constantly on
edge
 Hypersensitivity, fragility, isolation, withdrawal
 Reactive depression, lethargy, hopelessness, anger, futility and more
 Shattered self-confidence, low self-worth, low self-esteem, loss of self-
love
The impact of bullying

Financial
 Loss of income, including loss of potential
income
 Reluctance to go to work
 Actively seeking other positions
 Pressured to take jobs below his or her
capacity
The impact of bullying

On Other Workers
 Creation of a hostile work environment
 Employees feeling insecure and anxious
 Low staff morale
 Adverse affects on well being of others at work
 Absenteeism
 Constant flow of new employees
 Poor work output
The impact of bullying

On the Organisation
 Loss of time and skills due to sickness and staff conflict
 Continual staff turnover
 Continual reskilling
 Loss of productivity
 Loss of reputation in the market place and customers
 Early retirement costs
 Workers compensation claims and insurance premiums
 WorkCover fines for breaches of OH&S Act and Regulation
 Loss of income support and related government benefits
 Creation of a ‘toxic’ work environment
Public Sector Research – Fair
Treatment

 Study conducted in 2001 across a State Public Service

 Using a survey-based methodology (with behavioural-
based/frequency questions rather than emotion-laden
questions)
 3000 respondents
 34 participating public sector agencies
 Amongst a range of other research questions,
investigated organisational characteristics associated
with employees reporting very high levels of ‘fair
treatment’ and observed high levels of ‘bullying’
behaviours
Key organisational drivers of
perceived fair treatment and bullying

Fair & reasonable treatment: Bullying behaviours:

Performance feedback 76 Performance feedback -62

Involvement in decision-making 71 Involvement in decision-making -52

Supportive leadership 55 Supportive leadership -38

Opportunities for training & Flexible working hours -18

development 33

Flexible working hours 27

Public Sector Research – Fair
Treatment

Key characteristics of agencies where employees

report high levels of fair treatment and low levels of
bullying behaviours:
 Clear goals and priorities, high quality formal
feedback that is constructive and considers all
relevant factors
 Employee involvement & participation in decisions
that impact on their work
 Immediate management is accessible &
approachable, supportive, demonstrates
understanding of the issues staff are facing
Performance management and
bullying

 If an individual has a significant health or

mental health problem affecting their work,
then this should be addressed prior to
implementing performance management
processes
Early identification in the workplace

General indicators of withdrawal behaviour:

 Excessive distress reactions to minor operational hassles
 Low energy and fatigue
 Increased use of negative/harsh/critical language
 Decline in performance in erratic performance
 Disengagement and withdrawal (and absenteeism)
 Increased use of nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol

No one sign is definitive

A key indicator is a sustained change in usual behaviour
What can you do about bullying?

Reducing the effect

 Ask for help early from your safety representative or your union
representative
 Keep a journal; this will help provide clarity and detail to your
situation in the future
 Alternate periods of moderate physical exercise with relaxation
to alleviate stress
 Structure your time – keep busy
 Keep your life as normal as possible
 Make as many decisions as possible – this gives you a feeling
of control over your life
What can you do about bullying?
 Do not make big life changes. Your judgement, at the moment,
may be impaired
 Do not allow yourself to become isolated
 Spend time with people who make you feel good
 Do things that make you feel good
 Drive carefully – accidents often happen because people are
stressed
 Do not expect colleagues to automatically stand up for you
against the bully
 Accept acts of kindness and compassion
 Do not overuse drugs or alcohol
Taking action against bullying

Steps to take (If you feel you can do it)

As an individual
 Ask for a meeting with the person who is perpetrating the
bullying.
 Choose a quiet confidential place.
 Take notes of the discussion. You may wish to have a witness
such as your union or safety representative
 State aim of the meeting, for example "I'd like to discuss how
we communicate with each other".
 Try to remain calm.
Taking action against bullying
 Do not become personally abusive or insulting, i.e. remain
completely professional.
 If the other person becomes aggressive, thank them for their
time and end the meeting.
 Stand firm if you come under verbal attack.
 Tell the bully you will not put up with being spoken to in that
way.
 Remain confident in your own judgement and ability.
 You may need to avoid being alone with the bully.
 If you don't feel up to this, be sure to contact your OHS Rep,
Supervisor or union delegate
Taking action against bullying

Personal Approaches
 Talk to friends or people you trust in or outside work
 Maintain your outside interests (this helps to keep
your sense of perspective)
 Look after yourself and your close relationships
 If you feel unwell, seek medical help and counselling
Taking action against bullying

If Bullying Becomes An OHS Issue

 Talk to your union delegate or safety representative
and request them to conduct a risk assessment
 Get support from your workmates
 Request the OHS Rep maintain confidentiality
 Ask your employer about Grievance Procedures and
Dispute Settlement Procedures
Role of Health and Safety
Representatives:

 Raising awareness and providing education

 Supporting members who are being bullied
 Negotiating anti-bullying policies with
management
 Organising union action over bullying
Safety representatives can provide
education on bullying:

 Providing leaflets, feature articles and posters. Many unions

now provide these materials for their members.
 Organising meetings to discuss the topic, perhaps with an
invited speaker, and to draw up a union policy.
 Conducting a survey of the incidence of bullying.
 Some workers blame themselves for being bullied, developing
feelings of guilt and inadequacy about their performance rather
than identifying the bully as the cause of the problem. This
factor should be taken into account in developing an education
program. Surveys should be strictly confidential and the results
should be published. They work best as part of a broader plan
of raising the issue with the management.
Other options for workers:

 If the matter has not been dealt with satisfactorily

within the organisation, the worker can choose to
follow up the problem with an outside authority.
These organisations can assist:

ACTU Workers Helpline: 1300 362 223

NSW Anti-Discrimination Board: 1800 670 812

Report serious incidents to WorkCover NSW: 13 10

50
 Manager Early Intervention Protocol
A practical protocol for managers to use to proactively address individual
employee behavioural issues including bullying:
Make Contact
Arrange meeting time
Allow sufficient time
Preparation
Private environment

Explore The Issues

Open questions, listen and attend.
State observations.
Define issues and discuss.
Remember: The legitimate area for enquiry is behaviour exhibited in the workplace

Develop Options
Explore what the person wants to do.
Consider in relation to operational demands.
Collaborative problem solving.
Constructive confrontation.

Agree on Action
Decide on a course of action.
Clear and specific steps need to be defined and communicated.
Follow up, review and feedback is crucial.
Strategies to prevent bullying:
Fostering a positive work environment

Any strategy designed to address bullying is

more likely to be effective if it includes a focus
on developing:
 A highly capable team of senior executives
who model appropriate behaviour
 A culture of engagement and performance
 A set of integrated people management
practices
Fostering a positive work environment

Encourage a positive workplace culture in teams

 Maintain open communications
 Ensure all team members are aware of, and conform with, the
organisation’s expectations of appropriate behaviour
 Prioritise tasks, sharing work fairly, and set clear and realistic
deadlines
 Ensure staff know their role, and have the skills, capabilities,
information, and training they need to perform to their full
potential
 Provide constructive performance guidance, including positive
feedback
Fostering a positive work environment

Monitor organisational health

Indicators of likely workplace issues can be found by analysing
data collected through:
 Agency input surveys, such as State of the Service Reports
 Staff retention rates and unusual patterns of internal
movements
 Rates of sick leave and other unscheduled absences
 Information from exit surveys, with specific questions about
experiencing or witnessing bullying
 The number, type, and cost of compensation claims
 Available reports from counselling or EAP providers
Actions employers should take to
prevent and respond to bullying

Prevention: Responding to incidents:

 Consult with workers and
safety & health reps
 Develop a prevention plan
and policy
 Manage the hazard
 Provide information and
training
 Monitor effectiveness of
action taken
 Develop a response plan
 Develop complaint handling
and investigation
procedures
 Where possible provide
contact and grievance
officers
 Ensure the rights of persons
accused of bullying are
respected
 Deal with unresolved issues
Developing a bullying prevention
policy
Employers should develop a Code Of Acceptable Behaviour and a Bullying Policy.
The policy should be negotiated in consultation with health and safety committees,
unions and workers. The policy should include:
 A statement of commitment against bullying.
 Acknowledgement that it is a problem for the organisation.
 A statement that it will not be tolerated and may be treated as a disciplinary offence.
 Examples of unacceptable behaviour.
 Steps to be taken to prevent bullying.
 Responsibilities of supervisors and managers.
 Confidentiality of complaints.
 Reference to investigative, grievance and disciplinary procedures with timetables for
action.
 Protection of complainants from victimisation.
 Provision of counselling.
 Training for managers.
 How the policy is to be implemented, reviewed and monitored.
Resolving or Investigating Complaints

Responding to Incident / Reports

An organisation may use a number of ways for people
to notify bullying incidents, such as:
 Submitting written reports, including by a form
 Submitting verbal reports
 An organisation may also consider supervisors
acting on overheard verbal abuse or offensive
language or any directly observed bullying type
behaviour. These may also be considered as reports
for the purposes of investigating bullying behaviour.
Resolution – Key Principles
These principles should be built into any procedures developed for the resolution
process:
 Treat all matters seriously: Treating all reports seriously encourages reporting
and shows employees the organisation’s commitment to its ‘no bullying’ policy.
 Act promptly: Prompt intervention can assist in resolving reports as quickly
and as fairly as possible. It is expected that reports of bullying behaviour will be
acted upon within seven days
 Non-victimisation of person who reports: It is important to ensure that
anyone who raises an issue of bullying is not victimised for coming forward.
 Support for both parties: Once a complaint has been made, the person or
persons involved should be told of the support systems available to them.
These can include employee assistance programs and peer support systems.
The person or people against whom the allegations have been made should
also be informed of opportunities for support.
 In addition, all employees involved should be allowed to have an advocate
present at interviews or meetings (e.g: health and safety representative or
union representative
Resolution – Key Principles
 Neutrality: The person in charge of an investigation or
resolution should never have been directly involved in the
incident they are investigating or attempting to resolve.
Impartiality towards all parties involved is critical. Everyone
involved should have confidence in the person who is
undertaking the resolution process.
 Communication of process: All parties need to be informed of
the resolution process, how long it will take and what they can
expect will happen during and at the end of the process.
 Note: It is very important to communicate with the person who
has made a complaint when any delays occur.
Resolution – Key Principles
 Confidentiality: Those involved need to be assured that
confidentiality will be maintained. This is important in case the
matter is not proven and to prevent the matter from escalating.
 Documentation: Documentation is important to any formal
investigation or resolution action.
 Even if the matter is not formally investigated, a record should
be made of all meetings and interviews detailing who was
present and the agreed outcome(s).
 Natural justice: The principles of natural justice should be
followed in all formal investigations. These principles are
designed to protect all parties involved.
Strategies for resolution
 Gain commitment to cease the behaviour
 Run an awareness update
 Review the ‘no bullying’ code of conduct policy with all employees and
managers
 Provide mediation between the parties (where both parties agree to
mediation and to the mediator)
 Provide training (eg. communication skills, diversity awareness, inter-
personal skills)
 Offer counselling to the perpetrator (where necessary)
 Offer support and counselling to the affected person
 Move the perpetrator away from the affected person
 Discipline the perpetrator
 Require an apology
After Resolution

 After a situation has been resolved, an

employer should also examine the work
situation to identify and address any
underlying risk factors that may have
contributed to the bullying occurring.
Keep records

 Proper records of every complaint and any action

taken must be maintained in the event that the
complaint leads to further processes or misconduct
action. The record must include:
– A summary of the complaint
– The finding
– Action taken as a result of the finding
 Records of complaints and investigations should be
treated confidentially, information should be
accessed only on a ‘need to know’ basis
Resources
Organisations
 ACTU
 Australian Council of Trade Unions
Phone: 1300 362 223
E-mail: actuorg@ihug.com.au
Website: www.actu.asn.au
 HREOC
 Human Rights & Equal Opportunities Commission
Phone: (02) 9284 9600
Fax: (02) 9284 9611
E-mail: complaintsinfo@humanrights.gov.au
 NSW Dept of Industrial Relations
 Phone: (02) 9243 8888
Fax: (02) 9243 8771
Enquiry Service 131628 (anywhere in NSW)
Website: www.dir.nsw.gov.au
Resources
 Workers Health Centre
 Phone: (02) 9749 7666
Fax: (02) 9749 7566
Email: admin@workershealth.com.au
Website: www.workershealth.com.au
 Labor Council of NSW
 Phone: (02) 9264 1691
Fax: (02) 9261 3505
E-mail: mailbox@labor.net.au
Website: www.unionsafe.labor.net.au
 WorkCover NSW
 Assistance Service: 13 10 50
Phone: (02) 4321 5000
Fax: (02) 4325 4145
Website: www.workcover.nsw.gov.au
Resources

Publications
 Bullying in the Workplace: an occupational hazard
by H.Richards and S.Freeman (pub.)
Harper Collins 2002
 Workplace Bullying
By C. Rayner, H. Hoel, C. Cooper (pub.)
Taylor and Francis 2002
 Bullying: from backyard to boardroom
by P.M Carthy, J. Rylance R. Bennett H.Zimmerman (pub.)
Federation Press 2001