BULLYING IN THE WORKPLACE
Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. Unfortunately there are many people who are bullied or harassed by someone at work. The bully might be their immediate superior, colleague, department or even someone at a more junior level.
It has been reported that the number of people being bullied has doubled compared to a decade ago and has significantly increased since the recession. The trade union, Unison, conducted a recent survey on over 6,000 staff across the UK and found that one in three employees were being bullied at work, with many more having witnessed it. In London, the figures are horrifying. 48% of workers were bullied at work and another 35% had witnessed it.
The workplace should be what it says - a place to work - and the Government must address this horrendous problem now, so that targets of bullying do not view the workplace as a place of fear, intimidation, denigration or verbal abuse. It is woefully inadequate to claim that there is enough legislation in place to deal with workplace bullying when it is clear that bullies feel free to behave as they please, largely because they know that their organisation's anti-bullying and harassment policies will not be put into practice.
The TUC has estimated that UK business loses around 18 million working days a year from bullying at work. This is because employees become ill from stress-related illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders and need to take sick leave. It is a stark reality that the UK economy is suffering as a result and businesses would be much more productive if workplace bullying were eradicated.
If you have been affected by workplace bullying or harassment or would simply like to discuss these issues with me, please complete the form below and I will answer you as soon as possible. Please be assured that I will respect all requests to maintain confidentiality.
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©2012 Tamara West
