BEHAVING BADLY

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BEHAVING BADLY...

• Harassment
• In the Workplace
• Presented by
• Ann Walsh, HR Manager
• Cairns Region Group Training

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About Todays Session

• What is Sexual Harassment
• What is Workplace Bullying
• Look at some statistics
• Implications on the workplace
• Responsibilities of employers/supervisors
• Legal Obligations
• Minimising the Risk
• View Discuss Video
• Assessment Task

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Learning Outcomes

• What we hope to achieve today
• Identify examples of sexual harassment
  workplace bullying
• Understand the effect that this type of
  harassment has on a business
• Understand the companys expectations regarding
  appropriate workplace behaviour
• Identify resolution pathways to deal with
  harassment problems effectively

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What is Workplace Bullying

• Bullying is the repeated, less favourable
  treatment of an individual by one or more people
  in the workplace
• Workplace bullying can be simply described as
  Bad Behaviour which is unreasonable
  inappropriate

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Examples of Bullying

• Yelling or abuse
• Constant criticism of work
• Impossible deadlines
• Constantly changing targets
• Deliberately withholding work-related information
  or resources
• Making someone the brunt of teasing, pranks or
  practical jokes
• Tampering with personal effects or equipment
• Giving tasks which are meaningless or beyond the
  skill of the person

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Some of the usual apprentice pranks..

• Go shopping for a long wait
• Go get a 12 populating tool
• Tool box filled with grease/sump oil
• Go buy a can of sparks to start the engine
• Hanging push bike up/deflating tyres/gladwrapped
• Being locked in Porta-loo
• Or the more serious
• Dacking, greasing, or thrown in the dough
  machine/garbage, tea towel flicking and physical
  abuse

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Sexual Harassment

• Is Against the Law!
• Is any form of unwelcome sexual behaviour that
  makes a person feel humiliated, intimidated or
  embarrassed
• Can have serious damaging effects on peoples
  lives
• Is particularly hazardous to employers

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Examples of Sexual Harassment

• Uninvited touching
• Sexual or suggestive comments, jokes or innuendo
• Unwelcome requests for sex
• Asking about a persons private life
• The display of sexually explicit material
• Repeated invitations to go out
• Staring, leering or stalking
• Sex based insults, taunts, teasing or
  name-calling
• Offensive communications

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What is Not Sexual Harassment

• Behaviour which is based on
• Mutual attraction
• Friendship
• Respect
• If the interaction is consensual, welcome
  reciprocated, then it
• is not sexual harassment

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Effects of Harassment

• Reduced efficiency, productivity profitability
• Adverse Publicity/Erosion of Company image
• Increased absenteeism
• Staff turnover
• Costs associated with counselling, recruitment,
  compensation claims
• Legal costs associated with defending civil or
  criminal charges
• Loss of sleep, loss of appetite low morale
• Feelings of anger, humiliation, frustration,
  depression, stress, powerlessness

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Types of Bullies
              
                                                  
                                     

The Gatekeeper
The Constant Critic
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Types of Bullies
                                               
                  
                      

Two Headed Snake
The Screaming Mimi
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The Statistics - Bullying

• Men Women bullied/bully in equal numbers
• Women bullies target women 84 of the time
• Men bullies target women 69 of the time
• Vast majority of bullies are bosses (81)
• Source Campaign against workplace bullying 2000
  (USA)
• New research from Griffith University estimates
  the cost to Australian employers is between 6
  billion 36 billion a year
• Source HR Monthly February 2002

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Other Facts..

• Women are more likely to report bullying
• About 1 victim in 100 either attempts or succeeds
  to commit suicide
• Most people who are bullied report damage to
  their health
• Overwhelming majority of bullies are repeat
  offenders
• Bullying is responsible for 1 resignation in 4

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The Statistics -Sexual Harassment

• Survey Results from For Me Magazine Oct 2000
• Of the 60 of respondents who had been harassed,
  most common forms of sexual harassment were
• suggestive comments (68)
• Unwanted touching (64)
• Ogling (48)
• Sexual advances (35)
• Exposure to pornographic pictures (16)
• 70 didnt know who to complain to

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Duty of Care

• Qld employers have a responsibility to ensure the
  health welfare of their workers under the
  Workplace Health Safety Act 1995
• In the area of employment, employers can be held
  liable for the wrongs committed by their
  employees in the course of work
• This is referred to as Vicarious Liability

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Vicarious Liability

• Means that if an employee sexually harasses a
  co-worker, client, customer etc, the employer can
  be held legally responsible and may be liable for
  damages

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Zero Tolerance

• Are you aware of your Companys Policies on
  Sexual Harassment Workplace Bullying?
• Policies should have strong opening statements
  regarding the companys attitude to harassment in
  the workplace
• Develop awareness among staff as a key strategy
  in addressing harassment
• Maintain on-going identification review
  workplace environments where staff may be at risk
  
• Take a zero tolerance approach!

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If you are being harassed

• Tell the person to stop!
• Report it to your
• Supervisor/Manager
• HR Manager
• Field Officer/Trainer
• Keep a record of the harassment
• When, Where, Who Saw It

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Thank you !

• For participating in todays session
• Cairns Region Group Training
• takes workplace harassment seriously