• Workplace bullying incidents have the potential to create financial, physical and psychological trauma on individuals and organisations. 
• Individual and corporate reputations can be severely affected when allegations are not effectively investigated or are ignored.
• Someone, somewhere may die today (physically or psychologically) because of bullying. 
• There is an increased chance that you will be held personally liable for breaches of the law.

Workplace bullies cost organisations between $600 and $4690 per person per annum. 

These costs can include the direct and indirect costs.   The following shows current 2010 costs (that are still rising) for one case.

• Unsuccessful appeals (legal fees) - $100,000
• WorkCover Statutory costs (to date) $35,000
• Damages (common law) - victim's claim - $530,000
• Investigator fees - $20,000
• Salary of officers (investigate, represent employer and instruct counsel, process outcomes) $35,000

Taxpayers and consumers pay for these costs. 

They have a direct impact on the operational activities of your organisation.

Audits or assessments can be used to identify the level of risk exposure caused by workplace bullies.

Workplace bullying

• Do you or your organisation:
  • avoid or defer difficult conversations about workplace bullying?
  • resist the need to resolve workplace conflict before it escalates into workplace bullying?
  • have a culture of tolerance or acceptability when it comes to workplace bullying?
• Is workplace bullying the silent epidemic killing your culture?
• Are you:
  • confused about what is and what isn't workplace bullying?
• Do you:
  • know what is and what isn't reasonable management?
• How does your workplace organisation:
  • define counterproductive behaviours that could cost you your job?
• What price:
  • do you put on your personal reputation or that of your organisation?
• Is workplace bullying part of:
  • your risk management, business continuity, health and safety, audit or fraud and corruption prevention plans?

Individual questions

How would you answer these questions?

• Do you know:
  • what to do when you have been bullied?
  • what to do if you are accused of being a bully?
  • how to defend an allegation of workplace bullying?
  • know what questions to ask?
• Does your organisation have a workplace bullying detection and prevention policy?
• Do you know what type of questions:
  • you will be asked when you seek medical assistance?
  • your legal professionals will ask you?
• Do you know:
  • what to say to your family, friends and associates?
  • why investigations are conducted?
  • how to respond to media interest in workplace bullying allegations?

• Did you:

  •  attend an induction program (when you started work or even when you were promoted)?

• Do you:

  • have a current job or position description?

• Do you:

  • take part in the performance management process?

• Do you:

  • know and understand your conditions of employment (including compliance with Codes of Conduct)?

• Do you know why these questions are relevant for preventing, detecting and resolving workplace bullying?

You are not alone.  Many people do not go to work planning to be bullied and have no plans in place that will help them answer these questions (and a lot more).

Employer questions

• How much:
  • income did your organisation earn as a result of a single workplace bullying incident?
  • did workplace bullying contribute towards achieving the aims and objectives of your organisation?
  • business does a workplace bullying incident generate?
• How does workplace bullying:
  • improve customer service?
  • increase productivity?
  • benefit shareholders, investors or taxpayers?
  • add value to your brand name or reputation?
• What:
  • does the preparation, dissemination, storage and archival of workplace bullying records cost your organisation?
  • could your employees be better doing if they weren't spending time addressing workplace bullying?
  • are your competitors doing whilst workplace bullying is taking place in your organisation?
  • could your employees be doing more productively if they were not involved generating paperwork for Court, Commission or Tribunal hearings?
• How:
  • does your organisation benefit from the adverse publicity generated from workplace bullying?
• What:   
  • are the short, medium and long term affects on other employees who are witness to grievance and tribunal proceedings?
• Who and what:
  • are you defending?
• What:
  • will have you achieved at the end of it?
• Will any of your actions result in allegations of unfair dismissal?

Does everyone in your organisation know and understand the personal consequences of workplace bullying?

Do you know how to respond to these questions?

Do you know why you should be able to respond to these questions?

• How will you respond if your claim or allegation is to be resolved in a Court, Commission or Tribunal? 
• Will you be prepared?
•  Will you respond in haste and pay the penalty?
• Will your actions result in findings of unfair dismissal, breach of employment contract or financial penalties being imposed by a Court, Commission or Tribunal?

Plan for the day when you will be involved in a workplace bullying incident, either directly or indirectly. 

Even if you are a bystander, you may face a penalty.

My book is a must read if you answered no to any of these questions.  It is a practitioners guide to survival.

BOOK

Althofer, B (2009) RESOLVING WORKPLACE BULLYING. Survival questions and helpful hints from cubicles to boardrooms. Published by EGL I Assessments Pty Ltd, PO Box 776, Spring Hill Qld 4004.

The book is based on scenarios, practical questions and helpful hints  to help victims, alleged bullies, organisations, the medical and legal professions, family/friends and associates, investigators and the media understand issues involved in resolving workplace bullying.

The questions and helpful hints were developed a result of conversations with public and private sector employees.

Who should be interested in this book? If you work in the public or private sector in any of the following positions:

• Company directors, shareholders, partners and Chief Executive Officers (CEO's)

• Managers and supervisors (at all levels)

• Human resource managers and personnel officers, support services (EAP/EAS)

• Risk managers, audit team members and legal advisers

• Industrial relations areas and advocates, unions

• Medical professionals including General Practitioners (GP's), psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors

• Educational professionals - including TAFE and English Language schools, employment agencies

• Health - health funds, worker's compensation claims area and appeals areas

• Religious orders and groups

• Family/friends and associates

• Investigators - internal or external

• Media - TV or print

• Social justice advocates

• Emergency service providers such as Police, Ambulance and Fire Rescue

PURCHASING INFORMATION

He has presented papers on a variety of topics at Conferences in Australia on topics related to the links between workplace bullying, leadership, health and safety, risk management and corruption.

In 2009, he self published the book 'Resolving Workplace Bullying. Survival questions and helpful hints from cubicles to boardrooms'.   This book takes a practical approach to preventing, resolving and detecting workplace bullying and has been based on his years of experience and working with victims, alleged bullies and managers/supervisors.

He has also expanded many of the questions from his book and developed a Personal Record Book that can be used to lead individuals through many of the issues involved in a workplace bullying incident or allegation.