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Bullying and Discrimination
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With claims of racism and bullying in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother, it is timely to think about the problems of bullying and discrimination in the workplace. In this article, Jo Potter describes some of her experiences and advises employers on how to prevent problems escalating out of control.
What is Bullying?
Reams of newsprint have been devoted to asking the question - was Jade bullying Shilpa or was she also being racist?
Many of the same questions arise in the workplace - what constitutes bullying, when does it become harassment or discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, disability etc?
In general terms, discriminatory actions can be divided into the following categories:
- Direct Discrimination - where an individual receives unjustifiably less favourable treatment because of their age, sex, race, religious belief, caring responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation etc.
- Indirect Discrimination - where unjustifiable requirements are applied which have a disproportionate effect on a particular group.
- Harassment - includes unwelcome verbal, non-verbal and physical conduct, which can be either deliberate or unintentional.
- Victimisation - includes treating a person less favourably because they may have made a complaint or acted as a witness in proceedings for example, or because for example they are a member of a trade union or other group.
- Bullying - this includes criticism, personal abuse, ridicule, ignoring or excluding behaviour which humiliates and demeans and gradually erodes self confidence.
The Big Brother House - a Hothouse Environment
The Big Brother House is designed to create tensions and friction. Housemates from all walks of life, who would not normally socialise, who hold different views and come from different cultures are thrown together with no guidance on how to behave to each other.
Very similar to the average workplace where people who would not usually socialise together and who come from very different cultures are thrown together in the hothouse environment of the office.
Bullying is often the result of poor leadership and can take a number of forms from shouting at employees to quietly undermining them or having obvious favourites to the exclusion of others.
Some of the current pressures faced by public sector organisations which can exacerbate claims of bullying include:
- Managers under increasing pressure to achieve challenging targets, to improve services and to produce efficiencies;
- Greater team diversity which brings people from different backgrounds together;
- More flexible working which means that employees will be working different hours and from different locations, putting more onus on effective communication;
- Major organisational restructuring which places pressure on managers who have to implement it and staff who fear for their jobs. Unless communication is right, the implementation of corporate change can be interpreted as bullying or discrimination by individual managers.
If the employer provides insufficient guidance on how employees are expected to behave with each other, it is not surprising if difficulties result.
Defining the Organisational Culture
Former Big Brother contestants have said that one of the problems living in the BB house is that contestants are thrown together and there are no guidelines on how to treat each other.
Defining the organisational culture is crucial if you want to create an environment where victimisation, bullying, discrimination and harassment are understood to be unacceptable.
A Policy for dealing with bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation.
However, with the best will in the world, there will be incidents and an organisation needs to have a policy and procedure to deal with them. This needs to be robust enough to provide staff with the assurance that any complaint will be thoroughly investigated, dealt with fairly, and treated in confidence by a manager who is independent of the situation.
When it comes to problems between senior members of staff or between members and officers, it is often difficult to find someone within the organisation to investigate the complaint. In this case, it is wise to bring in a third party from outside who is not tainted by any involvement. This could be a colleague from another local authority or an independent consultant who has experience of undertaking these sorts of investigations.
Cases also need to be dealt with speedily and all parties kept informed of progress. Poor relationships at a senior level can create an extremely damaging atmosphere of fear and mistrust, with staff morale and productivity plunging to low levels from which it will be difficult to recover.
Equally, if the case is not dealt with fairly, the aggrieved employee may take their case to an employment tribunal which will incur significant additional cost.
- Investigation Outcomes
- The outcome of the investigation needs to include the following aspects:
- A summary of the process undertaken;
- A decision on whether the complaint is upheld or not; and
- Recommendations on a way forward.
The way forward may include work on team building, leadership and communication skills or in more serious cases may involve disciplinary action. In some cases, where the breakdown in relationships has impacted on the wider staff team, work may need to be done on building staff morale.
A Bullying & Discrimination Checklist for Employers
1. Create a culture in which bullying and discrimination are unacceptable. Ensure this is understood by both members and officers
2. Develop leaders with team building and communication skills as well as task focus
3. Think carefully about the implications major change can have for manager/employee relationships
4. Have a policy in place to deal with allegations of bullying, harassment or discrimination
5. Ensure cases are dealt with quickly and thoroughly
6. Use outside help where necessary
7. Be aware of the impact that poor relationships at senior level will have on the organisation
8. Ensure any investigation results in recommendations to improve the situation (including work with staff who have been affected by it if necessary)
If you have any questions about the subjects covered in this white paper or you would like to find out more about how Oakleigh Consulting could help your organisation, please contact us on 0161 835 4100 or email us.
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