Workplace Bullying: Impacts On Business And How To Mitigate Them

Impact on psychosocial safety

Workplace bullying has a profound impact on psychosocial safety. It can lead to increased stress, depression and physical health problems resulting in higher absenteeism and healthcare costs.

A further impact of workplace bullying is the very real potential of creating a hostile work environment associated with higher levels of workplace mistreatment. In turn, this weakens employee morale, possibly inferior mental health outcomes for employees and has the capacity to harm a company’s reputation and strain the budget.

Mitigating workplace bullying

For employers, alleviating the possibility of workplace bullying is crucial for maintaining a healthy and productive work environment. Here are some effective strategies you can implement:

1. Clearly define what constitutes bullying and communicate that it will not be tolerated. At the same time, promote a grievance and dispute resolution policy that identifies such complaints should be reported and will be addressed with a supporting procedure that details how the complaint can be reported and how the business will manage the complaint.
2. Encourage employees to speak up about their concerns without fear of retaliation as this will help identify and address issues early. It must be very clear there will be no retaliatory action for lodging a complaint (although there might be disciplinary action if the complaint is found to be vexatious).
3. Always take any bullying complaints seriously and investigate all reports of bullying promptly and thoroughly. Ensure appropriate actions is taken against the perpetrator.
4. Train managers and those who lead a team; ensuring they can recognise and address bullying and holding them accountable. Most importantly, they should lead by example and foster a respectful work environment.
5. Encourage inclusivity and respect among employees as this promotes a positive workplace culture. Regular team building activities and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives can help in this regard.
6. Schedule regular refresher sessions so employees understand and recognise bullying. This will assist in preventing bullying and ensure it is reported should the employee be a recipient of this behaviour or observe it happening. This helps to create awareness and equips employees with the tools to handle such situations.
7. Be mindful of interactions during meetings and other work-related activities and address any signs of bullying immediately… do not procrastinate thinking it will go away because usually it won’t.
8. Where an employee makes a bullying complaint, offer support channels for them to access – e.g. counselling services or an employee assistance program. This will help in mitigating the negative impacts on their mental and physical health.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a safer and more respectful workplace for everyone.

What can workplace bullying look like?

Workplace bullying can take many forms, often involving repeated and harmful behaviour. Examples of this type of behaviour can include:

1. Verbal abuse: this includes yelling, swearing, or making derogatory remarks.
2. Excessive criticism: constantly criticizing someone’s work without justification.
3. Social isolation: deliberately excluding someone from meetings, social events, or work-related activities.
4. Spreading rumours: gossiping or spreading false information about a colleague.
5. Sabotage: intentionally undermining someone’s work – e.g. incorrect deadlines or unclear instructions.
6. Threats and intimidation: using threats to instil fear or coerce someone into doing something.
7. Unreasonable workloads: assigning tasks that are impossible to complete within the given timeframe or beyond the person’s job description.
8. Practical jokes: playing jokes that are meant to embarrass or humiliate someone.
9. Withholding information: deliberately not sharing important information needed to perform a job effectively.
10. Unwarranted monitoring: excessively monitoring someone’s work or micromanaging them without cause.

These behaviours can create a toxic work environment and have serious impacts on the mental and physical health of employees.

Legal implications

In Australia, workplace bullying has significant legal implications, and several laws and regulations address this issue including:

1. Fair Work Act 2009: under this act, workers who believe they are being bullied can apply to the Fair Work Commission for an order to stop the bullying. The Commission can issue orders to prevent further bullying if it finds the worker has been bullied and there is a risk it will continue.
2. Work Health and Safety (WHS) Laws: bullying is considered a risk to health and safety. Employers (or Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs)) must ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their workers; including identifying and managing risks associated with workplace bullying.
3. Workers’ Compensation: employees who suffer from mental or physical injuries due to workplace bullying may be entitled to workers’ compensation.
4. Anti-discrimination legislation: Bullying that involves discrimination based on race, sex, age, disability or other protected attributes can also be addressed under anti-discrimination legislation.
5. Criminal law: in severe cases, bullying that involves threats, assault or stalking can be prosecuted under criminal law.

As an employer, you are legally obligated to take reasonable steps to prevent and address workplace bullying. So clear policies, providing training, leading by example and appropriate complaints handling process are crucial to meet this obligation.