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How to conduct appraisals

Bullying buck stops with the boss

It affects an estimated two million people and costs industry around £2 billion a year in sick pay, staff turnover and loss of production. It can damage a business's image and on a personal level lead to depression and even suicide.

Lyn Witheridge, Chief Executive of The Andrea Adams Trust, a charity set up to fight the problem, describes workplace bullying as a silent disease, which until recently went largely unnoticed.

Bullying affects all types of organisations but can be deadly in a small business where teamwork and morale are vital.

How to spot bullying

Often victims are too scared or embarrassed to speak out, making it hard for the employer to see what's going on. Telltale signs include:

Employees are absent more often, or for longer:

Staff turnover is high - especially in the same part of the business or under a particular manager;

Illness that may be stress-related - such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, aches and panic attacks - increases;

An individual's behaviour or performance changes.

Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) defines bullying as 'offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient. Harassment is when actions or comments are demeaning and unacceptable to the victim.'

This can be as blatant as shouting or physical violence, or as subtle as constantly claiming credit for someone else's idea.

Why bullying is bad news

In most cases employers are responsible in law for the actions of their workers. So if an employee bullies a colleague you, as the employer, could face a fine, compensation award or jail sentence, even if the victim no longer works for you.

There are several ways in which bullying may make you fall foul of the law. Employers have a 'duty of care' to all their staff and if an employee resigns because of bullying or harassment they may claim constructive dismissal on the grounds of breach of contract.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is also focusing on stress at work and in some cases that stress may be caused by bullying.

An employee might also make use of legislation to protect them from discrimination on the basis of: sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age.

Stamping out bullying

The trade union Amicus, which together with the Department of Trade and Industry has carried out research into bullying, says businesses must adopt a 'zero tolerance approach' to bullying.

Make sure staff are aware of your attitude by drawing up an effective anti-bullying and harassment policy. A trade union or Acas can help with this.

Employers should consult staff when writing the policy and it should be regularly reviewed. This is particularly important if your workforce changes, if you take on a woman in a male-dominated office or employ someone from a different ethnic background, for example.

Put one person in charge of implementing the policy and train them in conflict resolution, mediation and diversity awareness.

The policy must explain what bullying and harassment are. Include less obvious examples, such as circulating offensive jokes or constantly setting someone unrealistic targets.

Remind staff that bullying can take different forms and can be carried out by phone, email or letter. Contrast this with examples of positive behaviour.

Also include:

The effects of bullying;

A statement that it will be treated as a disciplinary offence;

The legal implications;

Information on what to do if you feel you are being bullied and assurances that a complaint will be dealt with quickly and confidentially;

A reminder that managers must implement the policy and that every individual is responsible for their own actions.

Include the policy in your induction programme and ensure staff realise that it applies to work-related social events such as the Christmas party or works outing. Remember to keep a record of any complaints or incidents.

Lead by example

Look at your organisation and see whether there are factors that might encourage bullying. Is your sales team particularly aggressive or perhaps staff feel insecure?

Are you an over-critical manager who humiliates rather than helps the person to learn from their mistake? If employees are happy at work they are less likely to pick on their colleagues.

Useful links:

- http://www.acas.org.uk
- http://www.hse.gov.uk (The Health and Safety Executive)
- http://www.businesslink.gov.uk
- www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_bullyatwork.cfm
- www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_bullyatwork.cfm2916 (Amicus anti-bullying project)

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