How to implement your anti-bullying policy in the workplace
| NOTE: You can adapt the anti-bullying guidelines in this topic to deal with other forms of workplace harassment. |
If you are establishing a workplace culture in which bullying is proactively discouraged, you will need a written policy that includes strategies for dealing with the problem.
As well, a series of implementation measures will be necessary if you are to promote the policy and gain the support and confidence of management and staff. So, to ‘sell’ your policy enterprise-wide, you should consider the following advice...
1. Develop an anti-bullying policy.
The foundation of any anti-bullying strategy is an anti-bullying policy. This should include a statement of management commitment, a code of conduct, complaints procedures, and disciplinary measures. Do you have such a policy in place?
2. Obtain management commitment and publicise this.
Release a statement from the employer or management to clearly demonstrate commitment to a bully-free workplace, announcing the policy and a starting date. This would entail a commitment to prompt and proper investigations into complaints, a firm undertaking to deal with breaches of the policy, an ongoing review of the process, and the provision of adequate resourcing for implementing the anti-bullying strategies which follow.
3. Seek employee commitment to the policy.
The use of a collaborative and consultative approach to the development of your anti-bullying policy would facilitate employee acceptance of the document. The greater the level of consultation, the greater the level of commitment.
