What branches and groups can do
Some employers will try to avoid the issue of bullying altogether, as if by refusing to recognise that there is any problem it will go away.
This is not the case and, as shown above, there are a variety of legal duties on employers that mean that they have to address the issues, at least to discover whether there is a problem and to check whether any existing control mechanisms are effective.
Groups and branches are ideally placed to negotiate and campaign to tackle the problem in the workplace.
By ensuring that the issue is given a high profile within the workplace, you can ensure that it is more difficult for the employer to ignore the issues and members will be encouraged to report incidents, knowing that they will be supported.
Take action to stop bullying
Groups and branches could consider the following actions:
- You could carry out a survey, on your own or jointly with management, to assess the extent of any problem. the HSE’s stress Management tools include sections on relationships at work, which incorporates bullying indicators and, being an independently developed survey and analysis tool, it is difficult for employers to claim bias in the survey.
- Organise meetings so that members can raise the issue or include a discussion at a general meeting. National Ban Bullying at Work Day provides a good focus for this work.
- Raise awareness among members about the problem of bullying, by using PCS and TUC material.
- Organise training for reps in your area or ask your region or group to do so or encourage PCS reps to attend the unionlearn courses on tackling bullying, organised through the TUC.
- Check the policies and procedures your employer has in place. check them against best practice guidance and negotiate new procedures if necessary.
The collective approach to bullying
A preventative, collective approach is generally more productive than dealing with each individual case that arises.
The union and management should work together to develop strategies to eliminate workplace bullying. Joint measures could include:
- A joint survey of the workforce, to identify risk areas and to set a benchmark against which progress can be measured.
- A full risk assessment to meet health and safety requirements.
- Developing policy and procedures, including negotiating an appropriate complaints procedure.
- Provision of counselling, training and support mechanisms.
Arguing for a collective approach
Refer to the effects of bullying on the organisation, identified earlier in this guide, as well as the legal duties that employers have for the mental as well as physical wellbeing of their employees.
You can also argue that if the employer fails to deal with bullying with a corporate message from the management board, others within the management chain will see it as acceptable behaviour in the organisation.
If management dispute that there is an issue with bullying in the workplace, ask for a joint survey, which will prove the matter one way or the other.
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