While an incident of bullying does not define your workplace, left unchecked it could. And the consequences could be far reaching. Let’s talk about how you can spot, deal with and heal from bullying in your business.
What is workplace bullying?
According to GOV.UK workplace bullying is behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended. Harassment is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.
Examples of bullying or harassing behaviour include:
- Spreading malicious rumours
- Unfair treatment
- Picking on or regularly undermining someone
- Denying someone’s training or promotion opportunities
Bullying and harassment can happen:
- Face-to-face
- By letter
- By email
- By phone
Recognising the signs of workplace bullying
While there are some obvious signs that workplace bullying is occuring, some instances may be more covert and fly under your radar. It’s crucial to always be diligent in your search for bullying in the workplace, that way you can recognise the signs early and deal with them. Here are some things to watch out for.
Changes in employee behaviour
A sudden change in behaviour always points to something happening behind the scenes. The same can be said of bullying. If you notice that an employee has changed how they’re interacting with the team, how they approach their work or if they’re taking more days from home than in office (in a hybrid setting), it’s likely something has impacted them.
While you shouldn’t jump to conclusions, you should investigate by gently prompting them with questions around how they’re feeling at work, if they’re experiencing any issues or barriers. If they’re not opening up after gentle questioning in a 1:1 setting, you may want to address the change in behaviour more directly and offer further support where necessary.
Higher absenteeism rates and turnover
In more extreme situations, where bullying may have become more systemic in your workplace, you may find your employees taking more time off, or openly looking for other work. Especially if they feel uncomfortable talking to their colleagues, or their managers, you may find they opt out altogether. That’s why it’s very important to be on the lookout for bullying behaviour from all members of your team, no matter their seniority.
Complaints and grievances
Not that you wouldn’t take these seriously normally, but pay attention to formal complaints and grievances filed by employees. These might provide valuable insight into workplace issues. Additionally, you may sometimes need to look for what’s not being said, or read between the lines to spot bullying.
For instance, an employee may be uncomfortable to formally name or challenge colleagues or direct management. They may word their complaint around “feeling too much pressure” or “facing burnout”. It’s always worth following up with qualifying questions to make sure you understand the source of the issue.
Decreased productivity, motivation and increasing isolation
While at first it might just seem like an employee is having a slump in their productivity, there could be more to it. If an employee is struggling to motivate themselves, remain as productive as they usually are or are more regularly isolating themselves to work, there may be bullying afoot within their immediate team.
Aggression or inappropriate comments
On the odd occasion, people lose their tempers. Especially when the stakes are high. But be on the lookout for repeated instances. Repeated aggression is never going to help you build a healthy and happy workplace. Some workplaces run on tight deadlines and cutthroat expectations, we get that, but that’s still not an excuse for aggression. No matter what type of culture you and your people thrive on, look out for aggression in your workplace.
The same goes for inappropriate comments. Even if these are instantly acknowledged or apologised for. The effect of them may linger, or make members of your staff feel victimised or uncomfortable.
Micromanagement
New starters or those under performance improvement plans may need a little more management. But this should never fall into the territory of micromanagement. Watch out for how your managers are interacting with their teams. Are they assigning work and allowing their team members autonomy, are they promoting healthy work by building trust? Or are they watching over the shoulders of certain employees? In some circumstances this may be ok, but in the vast majority of instances, it’s not.
Cyberbullying
This doesn’t just happen in schools. Just look at any Twitter… sorry X feed and you’ll see what we mean. For obvious reasons, this is a difficult area for you to manage, and we’re certainly not telling you to monitor your employees online behaviour on social media and suchlike.
But by ensuring you have policies around your employee’s social media use, you can draw a line in the sand with what’s acceptable, and what’s not. A good offence is a good defence, as the saying goes.
There’s a difference between workplace conflict and workplace bullying
As we mentioned briefly above, some work cultures will be more cut-throat or results driven. That will mean that there could be instances where the stakes are high and temperatures flare, leading to workplace conflict.
These conflicts will lead to temporary disagreements that in the moment may have some intensity, with differing opinions, ideas and approaches. These instances however can be resolved quickly through open communication and mutual agreement.
The key differentiator here, these will not be repeat affairs.
Workplace bullying, as we said at the beginning of this blog post, is the repeated behaviour or harassment that leads to a person feeling uncomfortable and marginalised. The conflict will be ongoing, and aimed specifically at an individual.
What are the types of workplace bullying?
Sexual harassment
The Equality Act 2010 defines sexual harassment as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person.
Research by the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reported that three quarters of people in employment said they have experienced sexual harassment at work and 68% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people reported being sexually harassed at work.
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse in the workplace refers to a pattern of behaviour where one person, or a group, mistreats, manipulates or harms another person’s emotional well-being within a professional setting. A recent survey showed that 23% of the British workforce has been bullied in the workplace and a further 25% have been made to feel left out in the workplace, with even more studies being conducted recently that reveal workplace emotional abuse to be an ever-growing problem.
This type of abuse can take various forms and can have serious psychological and emotional consequences for the victim. These consequences include stress, anxiety, depression and decreased job performance.
Physical violence
Defined as when a person, or another employee, physically attacks another employee or job applicant in the workplace, physical violence poses significant risks to safety and well-being in a work environment. You may think this doesn’t happen, but stats from HSE show us that in 2020 there were 299,000 assaults in the workplace, with 38% of these ending in injury, all due to victimisation.
Physical violence can also have severe legal and financial consequences for both employees and employers. Employers have a legal and ethical responsibility to create a safe and secure work environment, which includes implementing policies and procedures to prevent and respond to workplace violence.
What are the repercussions of bullying in the workplace for employers?
Bullying in the workplace can have significant repercussions for employers, including legal, financial, and operational consequences. Here are some of the key repercussions:
Decreased productivity and higher turnover
Needless to say, if your workplace begins to host bullying, your team’s productivity is likely to take a dive. If bullying is allowed to continue for long periods of time, you’re likely to see increased complaints and turnover in your teams. When your talent feel more threatened than they do supported, you could find yourself with a mass exodus on your hands.
There could be legal implications
You can be held legally liable for workplace bullying under various laws, including the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (amongst others). Failure to prevent or address workplace bullying can result in legal claims, including claims of discrimination, harassment and constructive dismissal.
It could lead to tribunal claims
If you have employees who believe they have been bullied at work, they are within their right to file a claim with employment tribunals. If you’re found to have failed in your duty to prevent or address bullying, it can lead to costly tribunal awards and legal expenses.
You’ll likely suffer damage to your reputation
A workplace with a reputation for bullying can suffer damage to its public image and brand. Negative publicity will harm your ability to attract and retain both customers and top talent.
This could all lead to increased costs
The financial costs of workplace bullying can include legal fees, settlement payments, compensation awards and the costs of implementing anti-bullying measures, such as training and support programmes. Failure to comply with UK employment laws, including those related to bullying and harassment, can result in fines and penalties imposed by regulatory authorities.
How can employers deal with bullying at work?
Nobody wants bullying in their workplace and finding it occuring in yours can be unsettling. It’s an employer’s ethical and legal responsibility to keep bullying out of their place of work, and to do that you’ll want to include preventative measures. To stop bullying occuring in your workplace, here’s our advice:
Have clear anti-bullying policies in place
The best way to be sure your team is aware of your stance is to make sure you have a bullying and harassment policy. In the policy, outline unacceptable behaviour and provide clear definitions of bullying and harassment. Ensure that these policies are accessible to all employees; you could use HR software for that.
Have a clear reporting procedure
Hold weekly 1:1s or check-ins with your staff. During these chats, make sure there are avenues for your employees to report roadblocks, including interactions with their team and wider staff. Additionally, create a confidential and accessible reporting channel for employees to report bullying incidents. Encourage employees to report concerns promptly. Reassure your employees that they’re safe and can feel confident in using these reporting mechanisms without fear of retaliation.
Investigate claims thoroughly and take immediate action where necessary
Where a formal complaint is reported, take swift and thorough action. The best way to approach incidents is impartially. If you have the resources, we’d suggest training multiple staff members on your bullying procedure. Ensure you’re conducting interviews that don’t arouse suspicion from the wider team, document all of the conversations and act on your findings.
If an incident of bullying has taken, or continues to take place, follow with disciplinary action, verbal warnings or in the worst case scenario termination. At the same time, support the victim by offering counselling, temporary relocation or changes in work assignments to prevent further harassment.
Offer awareness training and workplace ambassadors
You may want to offer your team awareness training on how bullying can occur in the workplace and what to look out for. A team can benefit from occasional gentle reminders about workplace boundaries and how to spot when people are stepping beyond them.
You may also want to encourage members of your team to step into ambassador roles who offer your team someone to go to when they’re feeling uncomfortable around a colleague. You could develop an internal course through a learning management system (LMS), for example, that helps members of your team develop skills, and gives them the tools they need to be an ambassador.
Are there any laws in the UK addressing workplace bullying?
In the UK, harassment because of someone’s age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. Bullying or harassment that don’t relate to a relevant protected characteristic isn’t covered by the Act.
The legal landscape around bullying in the UK is a little complicated, as it lacks a single comprehensive statute dedicated to addressing workplace bullying. Instead, bullying falls under various legal frameworks, including:
- The Equality Act 2010 (which right now has a “worker protection” clause going through parliament), particularly when it is associated with discrimination based on a protected characteristic.
- The Employment Rights Act 1996, specifically the provisions concerning ‘detriment’ to employees.
- Claims related to breaches of explicit or implicit terms within employment contracts, such as the implied duty of care toward employees.
- Potential criminal or civil provisions outlined in the Protection from Harassment Act 1998.
Workplace bullying could potentially be subject to a multitude of other legal principles and statutes, including:
- The common law obligation for employers to ensure the safety and well-being of their employees.
- Legal protections for personal injury and responsibilities related to employee well-being within Tort law, or delict law in Scotland.
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
- Provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
- Safeguards provided for whistleblowers.
- Considerations under the Human Rights Act 1998.
Because bullying in the workplace could fall into a bunch of legal frameworks, it’s hard to give a single point of reference. The best thing you can do as an employer here is make it very clear in your own internal policies how you deal with bullying, and how you’ll escalate cases should they arise.
Where you can, name specific legal frameworks that exist to support your decisions.
How can you rebuild trust between colleagues after experiencing bullying?
To rebuild trust among colleagues, openly acknowledge the incident, support any employees who were victims and hold perpetrators accountable within the boundaries of company policies and laws. Encourage open communication, potentially mediated discussions, and regular check-ins with affected employees; monitor for recurring issues and promote diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Rebuilding trust may take time and patience, but so long as you can maintain leadership commitment to a culture of both trust and respect, you’ll be able to rebuild a safe and productive work environment.
Stop workplace bullying and harassment in its tracks
While an incident of bullying does not define your workplace, left unchecked it could. We hope that we’ve given you some actionable advice on how to spot, deal and heal from bullying in your business.
Of course, if you’re maintaining a close relationship with your employees, having frequent check-ins and 1:1s alongside conducting happiness surveys and openly asking for feedback, you’ll be in a strong position to snuff out any instances before they become bullying.
Employee management is much easier with the right HR software, and Employment Hero offers an arsenal of tools to help you beat back bullying by being on top of your employee data. Why not book a demo and see if we can help you create a more connected workforce?
