Workplace Bullying is frequent indecent behaviour at work that violates your right to dignity. It normally happens over a long period of time. It can be carried out by one or many people and is intended to make an individual or a group feel inferior to others. Bullying can take many forms, including verbal, physical, and cyberbullying. Bullying that occurs online, via mobile phones, social networking sites, email, or texts is known as cyberbullying.
Bullying can take numerous forms, including:
- Isolation and social exclusion
- Insults and verbal abuse
- Being treated unfairly in comparison to co-workers in similar positions
- scoffing at someone’s point of view
- Spreading false or defamatory rumours, gossip, or innuendo
- Persuasion, surveillance, or stalking are all examples of intrusion.
- Aggressive encounters and intimidation
- Workplace surveillance that is excessive
- Keeping information from someone who needs it to do their work successfully.
- Manipulation of a person’s employment content and goals on a regular basis
- Accusing someone of something they have no control over
- Use of vulgar or abusive words
- Other threatening behaviour
Note that in general a single instance of the aforementioned behaviour is not deemed bullying.
Bullying can occur at any level of an organization, and it can be perpetrated by consumers, clients, or business relations. A summary of your company’s anti-bullying policy should be widely displayed throughout the workplace.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) works to ensure that workplace bullying is not permitted, as well as providing bullying-related information and advice.
Obligations of the employer
- Employers are required to guarantee the health and safety of their employees in the workplace under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (as amended).
- Your employer is bound by section 8 of the Act to “prevent any inappropriate conduct or behaviour likely to endanger the safety, health, or welfare of employees.”
- Your employer is required by the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work to:
- Take reasonable precautions to prevent workplace bullying.
- Have an anti-bullying policy in place for dealing with bullying allegations (see Appendix 1 of the Code: How to prepare an anti-bullying policy)
- In conjunction with staff, create an anti-bullying policy.
- Prepare a Safety Statement based on a bullying risk assessment.
- The code also lays out a step-by-step process for dealing with formal and informal complaints (see the section below on “How to Make a Complaint”).
Obligations of employees
- You must comply with the following requirements under the Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work:
- Not engage in any inappropriate behaviour that could jeopardize your or other employees’ health, safety, or well-being.
- As needed, adhere to relevant anti-bullying policies.
- When a complaint of workplace bullying is being investigated, cooperate with your employer.
For further information on your rights concerning Bullying in the workplace or for a consultation please contact Sherlock and Co. Solicitors today on (01)4570846