with the sound of conflict and bullying
have a serious problem with bullying. SEB MURRAY hears what HR can do to manage allegations of bullying and harassment
Various past and
present MPs have
been accused of
bullying civil
servants and
special advisers
says Amanda Goodall, a senior
lecturer at Cass Business School.
In contrast companies with strong
cultures often outperform their
competitors, according to Mercer
research. Employee satisfaction is
positively correlated with stock
market returns, Goodall adds,
with happiness making workers
more productive.
Calling out a bully at work requires
bravery, but many organisations
fail to stamp out bad behaviour
effectively. Worryingly, nearly a
quarter of workers think that bullying
and harassment are hidden or ignored
in their organisation, according
to the CIPD. Many were blamed for
the problem after coming forward
with a complaint.
Little wonder then that some
“suffer in silence, fearful of
recriminations and the consequences
of rocking the boat” says Rhys
Wyborn, a partner at Shakespeare
Martineau. He cites former Home
Office permanent secretary Philip
Rutnam, who resigned in an explosive
fashion claiming there was a “vicious
and orchestrated” media briefing
campaign against him.
An ‘eat or
be eaten’
environment
creates a
vicious
atmosphere
All Photographies: AdobeStock
Bullying in the workplace News and analysis
The ongoing furore surrounding
Patel highlights the need for an opendoor
policy where people can raise
problems confidentially and resolve
conflict in private, says Kate Martin,
an employment associate at JMW.
But it also raises questions over
whether women and ethnic minorities
working in predominately white maledominated
environments face extra
scrutiny because they stand out, says
Sandra Kerr, race equality director at
Business in the Community.
“If women make mistakes people
can be harder on them, and women of
colour even more so,” Kerr explains.
“Priti Patel is of Asian heritage and
Asians are stereotyped as being quiet.
The establishment probably think
she’s totally out of mould. It’s like, how
dare you be imperfect? You should be
glad you’re in that job.”
Of course white male politicians
have been accused of bullying too,
such as former Commons speaker
John Bercow. Several ex-employees
claim he has a volatile temper that he
would take out on staff. Bercow denies
the allegations.
Leaders must embody the culture
they wish to create, says David
Wreford, a partner at Mercer. “Poor
conduct tacitly gives people licence to
behave in an unfiltered way.”
Best practice is for leadership to
clearly define and communicate to
workers what constitutes bullying in
their organisation, illustrated with
examples, says JMW’s Martin.
But organisations should involve
employees in defining the company’s
values as culture change cannot
come solely from the top down,
says Rob Jupp, CEO of finance
company Brightstar.
“You need to get to a point where
everyone buys into it, where if
someone rebels against the status
quo they are seen as being antisocial,”
he adds.
Creating a collaborative and
inclusive culture helped to lower
tension and anxiety on his high-octane
trading floor.
People managers should assess
each instance on a case-by-case
basis and follow their existing
disciplinary process to resolve
disputes, says Martin.
A bullied employee can sue their
organisation for constructive dismissal
– when you are forced to leave a
workplace against your will because of
its shoddy conduct. Rutnam is suing
the government on these grounds.
If bullying caused stress that forced
a worker to take time off sick they
could lodge a personal injury claim
too, adds Martin.
Ultimately though, she says the onus
is on employers to put measures in
place for staff to raise a grievance,
investigate it thoroughly, and make
sure there’s a satisfactory outcome for
everyone. Otherwise organisations risk
a toxic culture that erodes employee
wellbeing, stunts performance and can
lead to costly legal claims.
“It’s about making sure you have a
working environment that doesn’t
allow this to happen in the first place,
and if it does address it quickly.” HR
hrmagazine.co.uk April 2020 HR 13
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