Bullying and other behaviours that undermine people’s right to dignity at work are problems not only for the person directly affected. They destroy morale at work and can have a serious impact on the health and well-being of team members. So, how do you stop bullying in the workplace? There are three actions a manager can take to rid their workplaces of its corrosive effect.
Put a spotlight on it
The first thing to know about bullying is that it often travels in disguise. It is said to be only a bit of fun. Have you no sense of humour? You shouldn’t take yourself so seriously. These comments further demean a person who has been subjected to bullying behaviours.
In some organisations, bullying is ritualised and given a name such as initiation ceremony or hazing. Hazing is a group activity where there is pressure on individuals who want to be part of a group to participate in an activity which makes them suffer physically or emotionally. It does not matter that the individual involved appears to participate voluntarily.
Whether in disguise or using a false name, the first step in eliminating bullying is to bring it out into the open. It does not like the light of day. Call it for what it is and say that it is always unacceptable.
Call it for what it is
The second thing to understand is the impact of bullying behaviour on the person affected. At first, bullying behaviour can be an irritant. Wish it wasn’t there but ignore them and they will go away. There was an old adage about sticks and stones breaking bones but names would never hurt. As bullying behaviours persist, the dignity of the person is undermined, self-confidence erodes and sometimes there is disappointment that bystanders have not intervened. At this point, they do not have the confidence to bring forward a complaint. Finally, victims of bullying suffer physical and mental symptoms from the persistent abusive behaviour.
Bullying behaviours need to be nipped in the bud. So Step 2 in stopping bullying is about zero tolerance. Once someone’s dignity at work is endangered, someone must call a halt. Very often the person affected cannot do it and will rely on bystanders, team members and other colleagues to intervene.
Just stop it
The third area that needs to be addressed is the work environment. It is sometimes referred to as the culture of the organisation. More simply, it can be said to be what happens here or more correctly, what is allowed to happen in this organisation. It is strange to hear managers who have gone through hazing or other initiation rites, expressing surprise that such behaviours go on in their organisation. In many cases, they themselves were participants or bystanders to such behaviours in the past.
When well-meaning managers think about how to stop bullying, they often believe that writing a policy and procedure is the most important action to take to prevent bullying. Many organisations update their policies on a regular basis and train their managers. You will even hear managers earnestly say: I must have a word with some individual. Writing a policy, training staff and having a word are all good tools. However, the role of the manager, and Step 3 in this process, is to stop the behaviour at the earliest point and to make it clear that bullying behaviours will never be tolerated.
Help everyone in your organisation stamp out bullying with our Bullying and Harassment Training for All online course.
