Bullying in the Workplace

Recently, the subject of Bullying in the Workplace hit the headlines – The story about the government report into allegations of Priti Patel’s behaviour towards civil servants. This prompted much debate online and in the press about bullying, during a week where Bullying was already in the spotlight. #Antibullyingweek is an annual event by the Anti Bullying Alliance and  2020’s theme was ‘United Against Bullying’. Their study from last year showed one child in every classroom is experiencing bullying every day – so its an everyday problem happening in our communities.

Whilst we may think of bullying in a school environment, its also affecting adults lives too. We sometimes hear of incidents of workplace bullying from friends and colleagues. Some have a happy ending, but others result in leaving the workplace or a change in career entirely. But what does it looks like? How can bullying in the workplace happen in the first place?

I was pleased to welcome Julie Grabham from JG HR Solutions for an online chat. Julie’s business is HR, so frequently advises both employers and employees on cases of bullying. You can find our more about Julie and JG HR Solutions on her website.
During our interview, we got talking about bullying, behaviour, perception, acceptance and what leaders can do to reduce bullying in the workplace. We talked about defining zero tolerance policies and how important it is to implement policies and create a culture of zero tolerance.We explored how unresolved bullying can lead to poor mental health and how identifying it reduces the impact of bullying.

I especially enjoyed talking about the bully’s perspective and offering support to them too. We must not forget that they may well be in need too.

Julie offers some great tips if you are yourself a victim of workplace bullying, or if you witness bullying. Watch the full video from my Youtube Channel at https://youtu.be/8XcuxprWRQQ