Bullying and Worker’s Harassment in the Workplace
1. Introduction
Bullying and worker’s harassment is a common problem in Western Australia, especially in the armed forces and among women. This problem can have a significant impact on the individual’s health, wellbeing and work performance. It is therefore important to be aware of the signs of bullying and worker’s harassment, and to know how to prevent and deal with it.
2. What is bullying?
Bullying is defined as repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a person or group of people that creates a risk to their health and safety. It can take many forms, including physical, verbal, psychological, social or cyber bullying.
3. What is worker’s harassment?
Worker’s harassment is defined as any unwelcome or offensive behaviour that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. It can include things like sexual harassment, racial vilification or discrimination against someone because of their gender identity, age or disability.
4. Common forms of bullying and worker’s harassment
Common forms of bullying and worker’s harassment include:
– Physical bullying: This includes things like hitting, kicking, shoving, pulling hair or threatening violence.
– Verbal bullying: This includes things like name-calling, teasing, put-downs or inappropriate comments about appearance.
– Psychological bullying: This includes things like isolating someone from friends or work colleagues, spreading rumours or making unkind comments about someone’s work performance.
– Social bullying: This includes things like excluding someone from social activities, making mean comments about them on social media or deliberately excluding them from work events.
– Cyber bullying: This includes sending abusive or threatening messages online, posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone without their consent, or creating fake profiles or websites to humiliate someone.
5. Who is most likely to experience bullying and worker’s harassment?
Bullying and worker’s harassment can happen to anyone, but there are some groups of people who are more likely to experience it, including:
– Women: Women are more likely to experience sexual harassment and discrimination at work.
– Young people: Young people are more likely to experience cyber bullying.
– LGBTQI+ people: LGBTQI+ people are more likely to experience homophobia, transphobia or other forms of discrimination.
– People with a disability: People with a disability are more likely to experience bullying and worker’s harassment because of their disability.
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to experience racial vilification.
6. The impact of bullying and worker’s harassment
The impact of bullying and worker’s harassment can be significant and long-lasting. It can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can also cause physical health problems, such as headaches, stomachaches or sleeplessness. Bullying and worker’s harassment can also affect someone’s work performance and their ability to do their job.
7. Preventing bullying and worker’s harassment
There are a number of things that employers can do to prevent bullying and worker’s harassment in the workplace, including:
– Developing a policy on bullying and worker’s harassment
– Providing training for managers and employees on what constitutes bullying and worker’s harassment, and how to deal with it
– Investigating any complaints of bullying or worker’s harassment promptly and fairly
– Support employees who have been bullied or harassed, by providing counseling or education programs
8. Conclusion nnWorkplace bullying and worker’s harassment is a serious problem in Western Australia that can have a significant impact on the health, wellbeing and work performance of those affected by it. It is therefore important to be aware of the signs of bullying andworker’s harassment, and to know how to prevent and deal with it.