Do you manage any bullies?

Bullying is against the law (see last week’s blog) and as a manager you MUST take responsibility to ensure your team are behaving appropriately and bullying is not tolerated. And if your behaviour is considered to be bullying – change NOW. Can you say out loud that you do not support bullying in any way… without someone in your team shaking his or her head because in fact YOU are the bully?

A workplace must be safe – it is a duty on both employers and employees to provide a safe workplace. Organisation and individuals may be liable – resulting in fines and legal claims. Individuals can be prosecuted. As a manager or team leader you have a legal duty to supervise, monitor and control occupational health and safety standards in your workplace.

Workplaces with bullying issues are usually less productive because there are underlying tensions, stress and conflicts. There is also the chance that some highly skilled people will leave, even if they are not being bullied directly, because they don’t want to work in a business with an unhappy and unsafe culture.

So how do you manage bullying in your business?

1. Know what bullying is
Everyone in your team or business needs to know that bullying is systematic aggressive behaviour that belittles, humiliates or intimidates. It is ongoing and repeated – not an isolated event. Bullying can be done by managers, supervisors, individuals or groups. It may involve jokes, images, innuendo, physical contact, sexual harassment, even overloading with unreasonable tasks. We do know that different individuals may respond differently to the same behaviour.

2. Recognise and manage the victims
Who are the victims of bullying? Someone who is not assertive and very young may be the target, or anyone perceived to be different, e.g. minority groups (race, religion, colour, origin), age, political views, physical characteristics. The impact on these people can be emotional – anxiety, depression, even suicide; behavioural – mistakes, concentration, safety, reduced productivity, absenteeism and physical symptoms – headaches, rashes.

As a manager you should never assume there is no bullying because there has been none reported. Victims of bullying may not feel confident to approach you – perhaps it might seem they are weak or inferior, they may think it’s just part of the culture in that organisation so they have to wear it, or maybe they consider that it might impact their future work prospects. Often they fear retaliation, and may have seen after previous reporting (by them or another person) that there were bad outcomes.

Remember that a large majority of people who are upset never voice their complaints.

When someone has been bullied, they need support, perhaps counseling and the important knowledge that you are dealing with the bullying person effectively. In some cases they may wish to have their case kept confidential.

3. Implement a policy
Develop an organisational policy that helps victims as well as those with bullying behaviour to recognise and resolve the problem. Have a policy defining the behaviours, agreed by management and communicated widely.

Be a role model and show and say you do not support bullying. Provide training about the problem and support the victims. Offer assertiveness and communication skills training. Make sure everyone understands and knows the policy whether they are new or have been there for years. Everyone should be given a copy of a written policy, and there should be regular training and discussion about it, not just once. Create a ‘zero tolerance’ campaign.

Deal with the offenders swiftly – they require a fair hearing, maybe a warning and possibly some form of discipline or even termination.

4. Deal with bullies
As a manager you must give feedback and a warning. Be specific about the behaviour, get agreement/acknowledgement and follow up. Be alert – the bullying person may immediately intimidate the victim or their friends further. Consider a transfer to another area, and escalate to dismissal if the behaviour continues.

It is important to act quickly, diligently and always ensuring fairness to all parties. Remember the behaviour is illegal. And it is illegal for you to do nothing about it.

Also all your actions will be under scrutiny if the case escalates, so be careful, accurate and fair. Take comprehensive and factual notes.

5. Increase your radar
Don’t ever assume it is not happening in your team. Look for warning signs – maybe someone’s performance is not up to their usual standard, or they are taking a lot of time off, or get upset around certain people. Then be proactive and investigate the circumstances. Be open and do not pre-judge or assume you know.

Conduct regular performance reviews (twice per year) and one-to-one feedback discussions ideally once a month with each of your team.

When people leave make sure an independent person form HR or another manager, conduct an exit interview – this is a powerful way to find out why people leave and if a particular manager or individual is a bully.

6. Create an open honest feedback culture
Establish a feedback culture within your team. Provide training in the skills of giving and receiving feedback and agree that issues will not be left to get worse. Agree in your team to ground rules for giving and receiving feedback, eg. within 24 hours of an issue occurring. Make sure your team recognise what is reasonable direction and constructive feedback on your part versus perceived bullying.

View some examples of behaviour you might not realise are bullying here: Bullying & Harassment.

View how to set up a policy here: Eliminating Workplace Bullying.

View more about the legal side of a manager’s roles and responsibilities here: Bullying Prevention: Roles and Responsibilities for Supervisors and Managers.

Eve Ash is an award-winning producer of a wide range of resources on bullying and harassment for all ages.