How to Handle Workplace Bullying

We’d love to tell you that workplace bullying doesn’t happen in the charity sector—that’s what we’d all like to believe. And while this issue is less reported on than it was a few years back, that doesn’t mean it’s gone away completely. Sadly, our sector is not immune from bullying behaviour and, as employers, we need to act. So what can you do if you find out that it’s happening at your charity? Here’s how to handle workplace bullying.

What is workplace bullying?

Workplace bullying can occur in many different forms, but can usually be defined as unwanted hurtful behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated, harassed, belittled or offended.

Some examples of bullying in the workplace might be undermining a colleague in a meeting, openly criticising their work, spreading malicious rumours or teasing in an unwanted way. Or it might look like deliberately excluding someone—either from a work project or a social event, setting work tasks that are unrealistic, or being outrightly threatening or aggressive. However it occurs, workplace bullying is a deeply unpleasant experience for those on the receiving end and it should be dealt with firmly and promptly.

Mapping a course of action

As an employer, you should do all you can to prevent workplace bullying. You’re expected to do so by law, and you also have a ‘duty of care’ to look after the wellbeing of your employees. Here are some steps for how to handle workplace bullying:

1. Create an anti-bullying policy 

Anti-bullying and harassment policies can support you in preventing workplace bullying, and also give you a clear process to follow if an incident is reported. Bulliesout.com highlights a seven step process to follow to help you set up a policy, if you don’t already have one.

2. Address any bullying incidents straight away 

As an employer, you must take any complaint of bullying or discrimination seriously and investigate it as soon as possible. The first step is to talk to the person who raised the issue and to find out as much detail about it as you possibly can. At this stage, it’s important to check how they would like it handled. Is it something that they would like to report for you to keep an eye on, would they like to try mediation, or perhaps they want to raise a formal complaint?

3. Deal with formal complaints in the appropriate way 

If someone makes a formal complaint about workplace bullying or discrimination, you should follow a formal grievance procedure. This begins with deciding who will need to investigate the complaint. This person should be neutral and not involved in the event being investigated. In some circumstances, you may deem it appropriate to separate the employees involved, while you conduct the investigation.

If the outcome of your investigation results in you deciding to take disciplinary action, then make sure that you go about this the right way. Acas has produced step-by-step guidance which can be helpful.

4. Follow a fair procedure to tackle workplace bullying

If you’ve tried to resolve the issue using an informal route, but found during the process that disciplinary action is needed, you must tell the employee straight away. This should be done in writing.

When it comes to grievance procedures, the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures can be useful for checking that you’re doing all the right things to follow a fair process. You may choose to use it as a basis for creating your own code or policy.

Note that in order to be absolutely clear and transparent, and to avoid accusations of unequal treatment, you should follow the same procedure for all similar cases. Throughout the procedure, you should make sure that you’re talking to the employee being disciplined, as well as all affected staff, in a clear and confidential manner.

5. Support your employees

If an employee has raised a bullying complaint, then it’s important to keep an eye on their mental wellbeing. Let them know about all the sources of support that are available to them. If your workplace offers counselling, then let them know about it. Likewise, inform them about free external sources of support that they might benefit from, including the below:

• The National Bullying Helpline offers legal guidance and emotional support to victims of workplace bullying. Reach out to them via the website or on 0300 323 0169.
• Acas has a number of useful resources related to workplace bullying, including practical advice for employees.
• SupportLine is a confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support with a page dedicated to workplace bullying.
• The Mental Health Foundation provides a list explaining what help is available and which organisations can offer support.
• The Equality Advisory and Support Service helpline.

Don’t let workplace bullying impact your work culture 

It goes without saying that the best advice for how to handle workplace bullying is always to prevent problems before they arise, which is why having a well-written and accessible anti-bullying policy will stand you in good stead. But if an incident does occur, make sure you action it straight away using the appropriate channels. With the right approach, we can make the charity sector a fairer and more inclusive place to work.