At LawCare we are seeing a rise in the number of support contacts about workplace bullying. The most common concerns we hear about are a difficult boss, being spoken to in a disrespectful way, micro-management or being sidelined or undermined in front of colleagues, feeling that your employer wants to get rid of you, or being expected to take on work that is beyond your experience or competence and then struggling with it.
Bullying can lead to a range of mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression and can cause an individual to make mistakes, go on extended sick leave, resign or leave the law entirely. Bullying can have a negative impact on the recruitment and retention of staff, team morale, organisational reputation and can lead to intervention from a regulator.
Creating a respectful and supportive environment, with open communication that fosters a healthy workplace culture, will reduce the risk of workplace bullying.
Here are 10 practical steps for managers to reduce the risk of bullying
1. Clear policies and procedures
2. Confidential reporting mechanisms
3. Training and education
4. Leadership commitment
5. Promote a positive work environment
6. Prompt investigation and action
7. Support systems
8. Regular reviews and updates
9. Compliance
10. Continuous monitoring
By taking active steps to reduce those workplace factors that can contribute to bullying you are creating a respectful and supportive environment which will reduce the risk of workplace bullying.
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