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Bullying - Strong management or bullying?

Oct 02, 2007

Bullying is more likely to occur during periods of organisational change and uncertainty or where there are stringent quality targets and tighter budget targets. Source: Gráinne Suter of jml Training

One fifth of all UK employees have experienced some form of bullying or harassment over the last two years, according to findings from a survey of 2,000 employees by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in association with MORI and Kingston Business School. Employees who are bullied are more likely to be depressed and anxious, to be less satisfied at work, to under-perform and want to quit.

‘Organisations cannot afford to take this issue lightly’ says Gráinne Suter of jml Training and Consultancy. Aside from the cost to the individual the cost to the organisation can be very significant in financial terms and to the reputation of the company.

Bullying is more likely to occur during periods of organisational change and uncertainty or where there are stringent quality targets and tighter budget targets.

‘Developing a culture of respect in an organisation is essential and something that is the responsibility of all managers, but particularly those in senior roles’ says Gráinne. ‘Why not use Ban Bullying Day on the 7th November to remind managers and staff that bullying behaviour will not be accepted and to review your procedures to ensure that people experiencing bullying can report it without fear of recrimination’. Findings from the CIPD research show public sector workers are more likely to experience bullying than their private sector counterparts, 22% compared with 17%. This difference between the public and private sectors may not be due to more bullying happening in the public sector but to greater awareness of the issue and recognition of the importance of dealing with it.

The groups most likely to become victims of bullying and harassment are black and Asian employees, women and disabled individuals. Nearly one third (29%) of Asian employees or those from other ethnic groups report having experienced some form of bullying or harassment compared with 18% of white employees. Employees with disabilities are at least twice as likely to report having experienced one or more forms of bullying and harassment (37%) compared with non-disabled employees (18%). More information on this topic here

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More information about jml Training

jml Training is a specialist training company offering "in-house" training courses to local government. councils, companies - both small & multi-national. It has been established over ten years and apart from providing training services in the UK, its' trainers also train in France, Ireland & worldwide. Specialist areas include Management Development for Women, Diversity and Inclusion, Customer Service Training, Diagnostic Assessment, Leadership and Team Building & Management Development Programmes. More information at www.jml-training.com

© jml Training and Consultancy October 2007

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