Doctors are increasingly caring for workers suffering from symptoms of prolonged bullying. Theresa Judge reports
All employers should ensure that they have anti-bullying policies in place and that employees receive training on the types of behaviour that constitute bullying, according to occupational physician Dr John McDermott.
McDermott is one of the speakers at a public meeting on bullying and harassment in the workplace being hosted by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland tomorrow evening in Dublin.
"Bullying is not a medical issue per se but doctors are increasingly attending to workers who are suffering stress-related symptoms, both physical and psychological, as a result of prolonged bullying," says McDermott.
Research by the ESRI published in March found that just under 8 per cent of people had been bullied at work in the previous six months.
Research by the ESRI in 2001 reported a figure of 6 per cent.
McDermott says it is difficult to know whether bullying behaviour is actually increasing.
"Certainly people are reporting it more frequently because they are more aware of what is inappropriate behaviour. Behaviour that may have been acceptable or even the norm in the past is no longer acceptable," he adds.
While one in 12 people may feel they have been bullied, only a very small percentage of these go on to develop very serious psychological and physical problems.
Dr Abbie Lane, a psychiatrist who works at the Dublin County Stress Clinic and who will also be speaking at tomorrow's meeting, says the effects can be "devastating".
Persistent bullying can result in loss of self-esteem and confidence, sleep disturbance, anxiety and panic attacks. "It can lead all the way into depression," she says.
McDermott points out that it was suggested at a recent conference on suicide that up to one in five suicide cases may be linked to bullying and harassment at work.
"So you could be talking about 100 deaths a year," he says.
Both McDermott and Lane stress the responsibilities of employers to ensure that bullying is not allowed to continue.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) issued a new code of practice for employers and employees "on the prevention and resolution of bullying at work" earlier this year and it is available on the authority's website (www.hsa.ie).
It explains the difference between bullying and harassment and defines bullying as "repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work and/or in the course of employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to dignity of work".
It gives a list of examples including verbal insults, undermining behaviour, excessive monitoring, blame for things beyond the person's control and being treated less favourably than colleagues. The authority's code stresses, however, that a once-off incident is not bullying, nor does it include "reasonable and essential discipline arising from the good management of the performance of an employee at work . . ."
The 33-page document gives advice on preparing a bullying prevention policy, preventative measures and how to resolve problems when they arise.
Lane says there are many different types of workplace bullying from clear-cut situations where a person is being put under constant pressure due to excessive demands to incidences where performance reviews are not handled in the correct way.
She says it is essential that people who conduct such reviews receive training "in how to impart bad news, in how to give constructive criticism".
She says there are also some personality types who "perceive slight where none was intended". Lane says that to some extent people have to learn to take criticism if it is valid, but equally the person carrying out the appraisal has to receive specific training.
"If someone is underperforming, that needs to be highlighted," she says, adding that in some cases managers can be afraid of leaving themselves open to allegations of bullying.
Lane says a person who is being bullied should document every incident, consult the HSA website, and talk to their line manager or human resources department.
"I see quite a few cases and the people come from all walks of life, all kinds of organisations and all levels within organisations," she says.
McDermott says that bullying is endemic in society, pointing to recent research both on workplace and school bullying. He says there is "no classical victim profile - typically they are conscientious, hard working and successful in their careers".
He points out that the ESRI study concluded that it has less to do with the characteristics of the victim and "more to do with the nature and organisation of the workplace".
Both he and Lane stress that bullying can be very subtle and the victim may not want to report it for fear of being seen as weak while other employees may not take it seriously.
"The competitive environment in certain workplaces will mean that ambitious co-workers may not want to align themselves with somebody who is 'out of the loop'," says McDermott.
He stresses that employers pay a high price for not having proper policies and procedures in place - one British bank last year paid €1.2 million in damages to an employee.
"Employers have a statutory duty to perform risk assessments to assess hazards in the workplace and the assessment of 'bullying' as a hazard must be included in this," he says.
The HSA says that while failure to follow its code of practice on bullying is not an offence "the code is admissible in evidence in criminal proceedings".
Mediator Geoffrey Corry, who will also speak at tomorrow's meeting, stresses that allegations of bullying can usually be dealt with much more effectively by mediation rather than formal investigations.
By meeting the individuals separately initially and then bringing them together, a resolution can be reached in about 80 per cent of cases, he says.
"Often the person who the allegation is made against has no idea of the impact of their behaviour on the other person," he says.
Taking the mediation approach helps to rebuild relationships, saves employers money and also proves a valuable learning experience for managers, he says. By contrast, formal investigations usually only end up with two very different versions of what is going on, Corry says.