What is workplace bullying?
WorkSafe Victoria defines workplace bullying as:
Repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed toward an employee or group of employees, that creates a risk to health and safety.
There are many different types of bullying behaviour, here are just a few examples:
- Verbal: This could be calling names, insulting, teasing, and yelling.
- Physical: Unwanted touching, pushing, hitting or other violence; interfering with, hiding or damaging someone’s possessions
- Social: Gossiping, isolation, spreading rumours, ‘cyberbullying’ which could include posting nasty comments, forwarding or posting photographs, or using Facebook, Twitter, chatrooms and SMS to bully.
- Psychological: This could include stalking, scaring or intimidating someone.
- Work specific: Always giving someone ‘the crap jobs’, having excessively high expectations of work to be performed, withholding the necessary tools to do the job properly (and then giving the worker a hard time for not performing).
If you’re being bullied…
- tell the person to stop
- use neutral language to respond to the bullying, like ‘maybe’ or ‘that’s what you think’
- walk away
- try to act unimpressed.
But if it’s been going on for a while and things aren’t getting better…
- talk to your friends or workmates and ask for support
- talk to your parents
- talk to a supervisor or manager
- talk to a union representative
- call Kids Helpline, 1800 55 1800 or www.kidshelp.com.au a 24 hour, 7 day a week counselling service for Australian young people aged between 5 and 25 years.
- call the WorkCover Advisory line in your state
- 1800 136 089 VIC
- 13 10 50 NSW
- 13 18 55 SA
- 1300 794 744 WA
- 1300 362 128 QLD
- 1300 776 572 TAS
- (02) 6207 3000 ACT
- 1800 019 115 NT
If you see someone else being bullied…
- tell the person acting like a bully to stop
- talk to a supervisor or manager
- don’t watch or join in
- try to change the subject
- try to comfort and/or include the person who’s being targeted
- explain to the person being bullied that it’s nothing to do with them—it’s about the other person’s behaviour.
Adapted with thanks from the National Centre Against Bullying www.ncab.org.au.
