Workplace Bullying

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Workplace Bullying

• (Part 1 Recognition March 13)
• Part 2 Response
• Presentation by Catherine Burr
• Social Science Staff Development
• April 10, 2008

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Objectives Agenda (parts 1 2)

• Overview what, why, how
• Policy and legal issues
• Update developments now and future
• Framework for defining it
• Tips for effective prevention response
• Q A
• Resource materials

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Today Tips for Effective Response(plus
policy and legal issues)

• Pro-active Prevention
• Re-active Response/taking action
• Organizational responses
• Individual responses
• Why prevent and respond?
• Liabilities
• Costs (individually, organizationally)

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What do you want from todays workshop?

• Discussion, Q A
• Your needs?
• Your issues, questions and concerns?
• How general, or how specific to Western?

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(No Transcript)
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Quick exerciseTake the role of ONE of the
following

• 1. Youre the target of bullying
• 2. Youre a bystander
• 3. Youre the bully (or accused of bullying)
• 4. Youre the supervisor/manager
• 5. Youre the union rep
• 6. Youre the human resources rep
• 7. Youre the senior manager/leader
• WHAT DO YOU DO?
• (Brainstorm 1, 3 or 5 key things you will do)

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10 Practical Steps (Municipal World article
Sept. 2007)

• PREVENTION
• Policy
• Audit risk assessment
• Conduct standards with consequences
• Info, education, training
• Reporting
• Improve psycho-social work environment

• RESPONSE
• 7. Investigation
• ADR/mediation
• Remedies, sanctions, monitoring
• Counseling support services

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Bullying 5 basic reactions/responses(pros
cons of each)

• Self-help
• Supervisory facilitation
• Mediation
• Investigation
• Audit

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Liabilities

• Corporate
• Personal
• Cuts both ways high liability, yet you can
  mitigate (lessen) your liabilities depending on
  how you respond.
• How to mitigate your liabilities?

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Bullying Legal responses(in Ontario)

• Union and non-union employees
• Criminal code violations
• Human rights laws
• OHS laws
• Workers compensation laws
• Unionized grievance gt arbitration
• Non-unionized common law remedies

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Liabilities As a manager, leader or person
with authority

• Did you know about the alleged bullying?
• If you didnt know about it, should you have
  known?
• Were you aware or could you have foreseen the
  harmful impact, or potential harmful impact, that
  bullying was likely to have?
• Did you take reasonable actions to prevent or
  minimize the likely harm and negative
  consequences?

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Responsibility to act

• Board, Senior managers/leaders, Deans (faculty
  and staff leadership)
• Managers, Supervisors, Chairs and staff/faculty
  leaders (front-line)
• Human Resources (advice/process)
• Unions (partner/process)
• Employees (targets, perpetrators)
• Co-workers (by-standers)

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Bullying PreventionBeing pro-active

• Clarity of expectations
• Communication and training
• Mechanisms formal or informal
• Consequences
• Monitoring/audit

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Risk assessment/Auditing Signs to watch for

• Turnover/retention
• Absenteeism
• Withdrawal, self-isolation
• Grievances, complaints
• Voiced dissatisfaction
• Relationships deteriorate

• Destruction of clothing, uniforms, equipment,
  personal property
• Minor injuries

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Organizational signsWhat should you/your
employer monitor?

• Work intensity
• Staff shortages
• Work/organizational changes
• Excessive work hours
• Lack of resources
• Poorly defined jobs
• Lack of clarity of job expectations

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At a minimum

• Extend current harassment policy training to
  include bullying
• Respond seriously and effectively to complaints
• Ensure reprisal-free complaint procedures
• Implement sanctions

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When an employee comes to you, treat their
concerns

• Seriously
• Objectively
• Sensitively
• Promptly
• Dont ignore. You must respond.

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Try to ascertain

• Severity behaviours
• Severity effects/impact
• How long
• How widespread
• Safety/security issues
• Preferred options of the individual

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Then

• Your role
• Need help? Advice?
• Roles of others
• Liabilities
• Next steps
• Document

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When you know or become aware of bullying

• Take action (as above)
• Check further
• Seek advice/another point of view
• At a minimum monitor

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When YOU are being bullied

• First, take care of your health and self
  (physically, psychologically, emotionally)
• Stand up for yourself set boundaries
• Protect yourself develop coping strategies.
• Make a choice to stay/leave, fight back/cope.
• Use internal/external mechanisms and expertise
• Use collective action
• If all else fails (line up another job and) get
  out!

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Coping strategies(if you cant escape or until
you do escape)

• Change your mindset reframe the problem
• To reduce the damage to you, to make you more
  resilient.
• Look for small wins
• To feel more in control, less hopeless and
  helpless.
• Protect yourself
• To minimize exposure to nastiness.

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Reframe(reduce damage, be more resilient)

• Dont blame yourself.
• Consider it to be temporary (now, not the rest of
  your life) and specific (the bully, not everyone)
• Hope for the best, but expect the worst have
  low expectations
• Detach emotionally become indifferent (have no
  expectations), dont care/give a damn,
  de-personalize the experience, try detached
  concern.

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Small wins(feel more control, less hopelessness
and helplessness)

• Be nice to yourself!
• Develop routines take small actions you control.
• Do things that are small and under the bullys
  radar.
• Dont play their game be a class act, keep
  your cool, be calm use de-escalation
• Open their eyes reflect a basic right to
  dignity and respect use gentle re-education.
• Fight back confront, payback/take revenge,
  sabotage, call their bluff.
• Low risk think murder, just dont do it!

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Protect yourself(to minimize exposure)

• Limit how much and how often you have contact
  with the bully
• Put buffers in between you and the bully
• Find a safe place in your mind, in reality
• Use helpful bystanders
• Escape temporary or permanent

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Discussion

• Questions?
• Comments?
• Your experience?
• Your needs?

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UWO policies procedures

• Equity Services
• Terri Tomchick-Condon, Advisor
• Human Resources
• Barbara Froats, Rehabilitation Coordinator

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Quick exerciseTake the role of ONE of the
following

• 1. Youre the target of bullying
• 2. Youre a bystander
• 3. Youre the bully (or accused of bullying)
• 4. Youre the supervisor/manager
• 5. Youre the union rep
• 6. Youre the human resources rep
• 7. Youre the senior manger/leader
• WHAT DO YOU DO?
• Re-visit the exercise. Debrief and discuss.