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Workplace Bullying - Are You Doing Enough to Tackle It?
 As
part of a small business, you are probably
aware of the problem of bullying in the
workplace. Yet despite there being little
mention of it day to day, a surprisingly
high number of employees have been affected;
and could you be doing more to prevent it?
A survey by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development (CIPD) have found
that a shocking 20% of UK employees have
experienced some form of bullying in the
last two years. Those employees are far more
likely to be anxious and depressed, will
under perform and be more inclined to quit.
Not only does bullying reduce the morale of
your employees, but it can drastically
reduce productivity and lead to expensive
employment tribunals; especially if
you could have acted to stop it.
Mike Emmott, CIPD Employee Relations
Adviser, says: “Bullying and harassment is a
serious problem in many workplaces and
employers need to take the issue more
seriously. It can damage individuals’
confidence, morale, motivation and sometimes
their health causing them to be less
productive and effective at work. It can
also trigger absenteeism, make retention
rates go down and both the employer’s
reputation and bottom line can take a hit.
“Bullying can take many forms, including
ridiculing personal characteristics, making
unfair criticisms and ignoring people, as
well as physical or verbal harassment.
Employers need to be alert to the damage a
bullying culture can cause. Line managers
need to be able to recognise signs of
bullying or harassment and take action to
deal with the situation before it gets out
of hand. Employees who are being bullied or
harassed need to know how to complain, and
feel reassured that they won’t be victimised
if they do.”
83% of organisations have an anti-bullying
policy, yet a fifth of employees are still
falling victim. This means that either the
policies in place are not working, or that
employees feel too scared to come forward.
By making sure you take action to prevent
and deal with bullying as fast as possible,
you can avoid the costs whilst making a
happier, more productive workforce.
The CIPD has a useful guide to preventing
bullying in the workplace.
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