There’s no need to put up with workplace bullying
You’re entitled to expect that your employer will take steps to stamp out bullying and provide a safe and welcoming workplace for all employees.
We are sensitive to what you are going through, and can give you advice that enables you to stop the bullying, and prevent it from happening in the future. Letting you carry on safely and successfully with your career with your employer.
Give us a call – (02) 9199 8597
What is considered workplace bullying?
Workplace bullying is repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety.
You may have been bullied if:
- Colleagues have repeatedly been aggressive and intimidating towards you.
- Colleagues have repeatedly belittled, harassed or teased you.
- Colleagues have repeatedly spread damaging rumours about you.
- You have repeatedly been excluded from work related events.
- You have consistently been given an unreasonably high or low workload.
- You have consistently been given unreasonably difficult or easy work.
- You have repeatedly been pressured to behave in an inappropriate way.
What is NOT considered bullying are management processes such as performance management or reasonable disciplinary action for misconduct.
Submitting a workplace complaint
If your employer may has internal grievance processes in place, you should ask for a copy of their grievance or complaints policy, and submit a complaint about your bullying in a detailed manner. If successful, this can be a cheap and effective way of putting an end to the bullying.
Otherwise, you may lodge an application for a ‘stop bullying order’.
What is a stop bullying order?
If you have a reasonable belief that you have been bullied at work, you can lodge an application for a ‘stop bullying order’ at the Fair Work Commission. This will generally lead to a mediation with your employer. If the mediation fails to resolve the issue, a conference and a hearing before a Member of the Commission will take place.
After the hearing, if the Commission is satisfied that the worker has been bullied in the past and at risk of bullying in the future, it may make a range of orders requiring the bullying to be stopped.
The Commission cannot make a monetary order, although a failure to comply with a stop bullying order may attract a monetary penalty.
Recording evidence
Before submitting a workplace complaint or applying for a stop bullying order, it is important that you have evidence of the bullying. You should identify the five most serious instances of unreasonable conduct that you have experienced at work.
This step can help determine whether or not you have been bullied, and can form the basis of a workplace complaint or an application for a stop bullying order.
We are here to help you through
We can help you stop bullying by:
- Advising you on the most effective strategy and to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the future.
- Assisting you to submit workplace complaints to your employer and to participate in workplace investigations.
- Helping you with stop bullying applications to the Fair Work Commission.
- Advising on how you can integrate yourself back into the ordinary flow of your employer’s business after the bullying issue has been resolved.
Contact us now to discuss how you have been subject to bullying and how we can work with you to ensure that it stops and does not happen again.