Bullying awareness in the workplace

Tuesday, 10 December, 2013


A survey conducted by WorkPro has indicated that awareness of bullying and discrimination in the workplace has improved ahead of a significant change in government regulation covering the issue.

The national survey of more than 5500 labour hire employees found that almost three-quarters (73%) of employees were aware when their workplace rights had been breached through an act of bullying or discrimination. This represents a 7% increase compared with the 2012 survey results.

This suggests a marked improvement against findings of the 2012 survey, which indicated no change in the behaviour of Australian workplaces compared with 2011.

The WorkPro Workplace Pulse Survey also found that a third of respondents believed they had been bullied in the workplace at some point during their career, a 5% increase since the 2011 survey. There was a 4% increase (27%) in the number of respondents who answered they had been discriminated against at work, compared with 2011.

Tania Evans, general manager of WorkPro, said the results of 2013 compared with previous years were a good sign ahead of the introduction of the anti-bullying jurisdiction in January 2014.

“The new anti-bullying jurisdiction, commencing on 1 January, will provide a process for workers to report bullying to the FairWork Commission,” Evans said. “With increased awareness of what bullying and discrimination breaches are in the workplace, this is ideal timing for the new laws to be introduced.”

Despite the improvement, Evans urged workplaces to build a strong culture of zero tolerance for bullying, including a robust management system, encompassing education, policies and transparent procedures for employees to be able to report bullying concerns.

“Raising awareness so that employees understand their rights, responsibilities and also the protocol to report breaches of workplace codes of conduct is vitally important for all organisations,” said Evans.

“The survey found that 27% of employees are still unsure or not aware when their workplace rights have been breached through an act of bullying or discrimination - there is still room for improvement.

“The positive news is that more than half of the individuals surveyed were aware that both the on-hire organisation, or recruitment company, and the ‘host employer’ where the individual works on a day-to-day basis are responsible for providing a safe working environment for their employees. This is a great result as the working relationship between the employee, host and on-hire organisation is more complex as it is not possible for the recruiter to take a hands-on management role with the individual, so education and awareness plays a key role in this situation.

She added that the government’s focus on this issue and the amendment were a welcome development for the workplace.

Fair Work Amendment Act 2013 will contribute to providing a firm foundation from which to influence individual and group behaviours, as well as attitudes, beliefs and perceptions in the workplace and provide a consistent national approach to tackling this issue.”

Fair Work Amendment Act 2013 has been introduced to:

  • permit a worker who reasonably believes they have been bullied at work to apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for an order to stop bullying;
  • incorporate a clear definition of workplace bullying into the Fair Work Act;
  • require the FWC to commence acting on any claim within 14 days;
  • enable the FWC to make any order it deems appropriate, with the exception of monetary compensation.
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