Workplace bullying

What is workplace bullying?

WorkSafe Victoria defines workplace bullying as: Repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed toward an employee or group of employees, that creates a risk to health and safety.

There are many different types of bullying behavior, here are just a few examples:

• Verbal: This could be calling names, insulting, teasing, and yelling.
• Physical: Unwanted touching, pushing, hitting or other violence; interfering with, hiding or damaging someone’s possessions
• Social: Gossiping, isolation, spreading rumours, ‘cyberbullying’  which could include posting nasty comments, forwarding or posting photographs, or using Facebook, Twitter, chatrooms and SMS to bully.
• Psychological: This could include stalking, scaring or intimidating someone.
• Work specific: Always giving someone ‘the crap jobs’, having excessively high expectations of work to be performed, withholding the necessary tools to do the job properly (and then giving the worker a hard time for not performing).

If you’re being bullied…

• tell the person to stop
• use neutral language to respond to the bullying, like ‘maybe’ or ‘that’s what you think’
• walk away
• try to act unimpressed.

But if it’s been going on for a while and things aren’t getting better…

• talk to your friends or workmates and ask for support
• talk to your parents
• talk to a supervisor or manager
• talk to a union representative
• call Kids Helpline, 1800 55 1800 or www.kidshelp.com.au a 24 hour, 7 day a week counselling service for Australian young people aged between 5 and 25 years.
• call the  WorkCover Advisory line in your state
  • 1800 136 089     VIC
  • 13 10 50             NSW
  • 13 18 55             SA
  • 1300 794 744     WA
  • 1300 362 128     QLD
  • 1300 776 572     TAS
  • (02) 6207 3000   ACT
  • 1800 019 115     NT

If you see someone else being bullied…

• tell the person acting like a bully to stop
• talk to a supervisor or manager
• don’t watch or join in
• try to change the subject
• try to comfort and/or include the person who’s being targeted
• explain to the person being bullied that it’s nothing to do with them—it’s about the other person’s behaviour.

Adapted with thanks from the National Centre Against Bullying www.ncab.org.au.