What is bullying?
Workplace bullying is persistent unreasonable behaviour towards a worker or group of workers that causes a risk to health and safety. That is, it must:
- Be persistent, in the sense that it happens repeatedly over a period of time.
- Be unreasonable, in the sense that it is irrational, disproportionate or unfair.
- Cause a risk to health and safety, including a risk of stress or anxiety.
It can include things like spreading malicious rumours, repeated harsh or unfair negative comments, and repeated failures to give an employee sufficient work that is adequate for his or her position.
Management action which is reasonable, in the sense that it is fair, rational and proportionate, will not be bullying.
How should you respond to being bullied at work?
Many employers have an internal complaints policy which allows you to report bullying. If your employer has one, you should follow that policy. If not, you should write a letter to your employer which:
- Describes in detail at least three situations in which you were bullied. These descriptions should include details of:
- The time, date and location of the bullying.
- The name and position of the bullies.
- The name of anybody who witnessed the bullying.
- The words that were said or the things that were done.
- Describes how the bullying has made you feel and how it has affected your work.
- Outlines what you want to achieve by making the complaint, such as a move to a different department, having the bully move to a different department, having a mediation with the bully, or having the bullying stop.
If the bully is the manager to whom you are required to make the complaint, you should send the complaint to another senior person in the organisation.
What if the employer’s response is unsatisfactory?
If your employer’s response is unsatisfactory, you may be able to commence proceedings at the Fair Work Commission for a Stop Bullying Order. You can commence these proceedings by filling in a Form F72, which can be downloaded from the Fair Work Commission’s website. You can use the details that you used in your complaint to help you prepare the application.
How can we help?
If you think you are being bullied at work, call us or email us. We can provide you with guidance and support to get a practical result which puts a stop to the bullying.
More information
Join our team as we answer your FAQs about Bullying and Harassment in the workplace. To read the transcript, click here.
The information contained in this post is current at the date of editing – 11 April 2025.