Q: What is the impact of bullying?

<p>Bullying, abuse &amp; harassment can induce the following in the victim:</p> <ul> <li>Stress</li> <li>Anxiety &amp; panic attacks</li> <li>Increased blood pressure</li> <li>Sleep deprivation</li> <li>Ulcers</li> <li>As well as an effect on their work performance like decision making, lack of concentration, self-esteem, and reduced productivity.</li> </ul>

Question 1

What is the difference between bullying and harassment?

Accepted Answer

The clear difference between harassment and bullying is harassment is ILLEGAL and bullying IS NOT. However, bullying is never acceptable and anyone bullying should be punished appropriately.

Harassment is aggressive pressure or intimidation which can make you feel intimidated. E.g. comments, jokes, gestures. Section 1 & 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 act defines acts of harassment.

Bullying has no legal definition but can be defined as very similar to harassment, it is not targeting a protected characteristic.

Question 2

What are the different forms of harassment?

Accepted Answer

Harassment targets the 9 protected characteristics in the Equality Act. These characteristics are:

Age
Race
Sex
Disability
Religion and belief
Sexual orientation
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity

Question 3

Is bullying illegal?

Accepted Answer

Whilst there is no legal definition of bullying there is still some Law and guidance that business settings must regard. Most bullying incidents are not crimes. But some types of bullying are illegal and should be reported to the police. This includes bullying that involves violence or assault; theft; harassment and intimidation over a period of time including calling someone names or threatening them, making abusive phone calls, and sending abusive emails or text messages (one incident is not normally enough to get a conviction); and anything involving hate crimes.

Question 4

How do you know when someone is being bullied/harassed?

Accepted Answer

Here are some of the signs to look out for if you think you or someone else is being bullied/harassed:

Taking responsibilities away from you
Exclusion or being ignored
Rumours spreading with or without your knowledge
Constant criticism
Managers/leaders that misuse their power and intimidate or belittle
Being made to feel guilty, constant jokes, and being picked on
Unwelcome sexual advances
Threats of job security
Stopping you from progressing in your job

Question 5

How can you tell when you or someone else is bullying or harassing someone?

Accepted Answer

They are picking on someone - ignoring them, too much supervision, leaving them out, disregarding what they say, the list can go on for this category.
They are always telling on someone - they will snitch on anything they do and constantly brag to everyone about the other person's mistake. Or you point the finger at the same person once again, when it was your fault.
They openly make fun of other people - taking the ‘mickey’ out of someone in front of everyone to try and get other people to rally around you.
They point out your mistakes and make sure everyone knows about them.
They insult any personal characteristics like looks or personality.

The above is not a definitive list.

Question 6

What is the impact of bullying?

Accepted Answer

Bullying, abuse & harassment can induce the following in the victim:

Stress
Anxiety & panic attacks
Increased blood pressure
Sleep deprivation
Ulcers
As well as an effect on their work performance like decision making, lack of concentration, self-esteem, and reduced productivity.

Question 7

How can you prevent bullying in your workplace?

Accepted Answer

To prevent bullying at work, appropriate training and awareness tools should be provided to employees and management. It is important to make sure as an employer that you make it clear that you have zero tolerance for bullying in the workplace. Most companies do this by having a written policy determining what is unacceptable so should bullying occur, they are then able to handle the bully and the situation appropriately.

Question 8

I think I'm being harassed what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Your employer should try and protect you from harassment at work. If you are being harassed and decide to come forward here are some simple steps.

Write down what happened - dates, times, what happened, witnesses, how you felt
If you feel safe doing so, confront the harasser and ask them to stop. Some people don’t fully understand how they are making others feel, but some do.
Talk to your employer or a senior manager about it
If the harasser doesn't stop or your employer isn’t taking your complaint seriously, you should make a formal complaint. This can be made under the harassment claim under the Equality Act.

Question 9

Is harassment illegal?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Harassment is illegal as it targets the protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Meaning you are able to prosecute someone for harassment.

Question 10

How can you facilitate a positive working environment?

Accepted Answer

A positive working environment can come from a number of things. Here are some examples below:

Transparent communication between everyone
Ensure you and your employees have a good work-life balance to avoid things like stress and general frustration and unhappiness at work
Keep up-to-date training and development opportunities going to provide new and exciting opportunities for staff
Praise and reward hard work and success
Things like team bonding days and showing a good team attitude is important to make everyone feel included and equal

Bullying & Harassment

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