Do you know a workplace bully when you see one? They’re not always as obvious to spot as the little tyke above and they can be very good at hiding their poor social behaviour from their superiors.
Bullies don’t advertise their bullying ways – in fact they can come across as awfully nice when top brass are in the room – so it’s important to take staff complaints seriously and know what to look out for.
According to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) workplace bullying does not stop at the intimidating beahaviour we’re all familiar with from primary school. Workplace bullying can constitute a range of behaviours including:
- belittling or humiliating comments
- spreading malicious rumours
- teasing, practical jokes or ‘initiation ceremonies’
- exclusion from work-related events
- unreasonable work expectations, including too much or too little work, or work below or beyond a worker’s skill level
- displaying offensive material
- pressure to behave in an inappropriate manner
- aggressive or intimidating conduct.
However FWC cautions that a certain behaviour can only be classified as bullying if it is repeated on several occasions.
Reasonable disciplinary action taken by management for misconduct does not constitute bullying according to the FWC. What’s the definition of reasonable? On that, the direction becomes a little hazy…
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