Bullying comes under WHS Legislation and Harassment under the IR Legislation. Whatever the legislation, are your bullying and harassment policies enough to provide psychological safety in the workplace?
Most workplaces have a policy on workplace bullying and harassment and yet most employees have no idea what this policy means or how it works.
It is the responsibility of managers to ensure that all employees understand that bullying is not tolerated in the workplace and that action must be taken to deal with behaviour which may be offensive or intimidating. But, most people are not aware that workplace psychological safety extends far beyond having a bullying and harassment policy.
Anxiety, loss of confidence, depression and reduced work performance are not just seen in situations of bullying and harassment but in everyday work situations. Managers may be aware that stress indicators which affect work performance can appear at any time and require understanding and support. Some examples of issues and situations that may impact on well-being are: when employees have conflict with colleagues or supervisors, poor team morale, long working hours, taking work home, career uncertainty, shift work as well as restructures, workplace changes and their effects that are not clearly communicated from the top down.
Another area of consideration relates to technology. While it provides wonderful flexibility in the workplace it can mean that there is an expectation that employees will be available 24 hours, 7 days a week. This can place high expectations and increased pressure that may impact on individual stress levels. If people feel stressed at work they take that home and family members can be affected as people struggle to switch off.
It is necessary for managers to have an understanding and awareness of the factors affecting workplace stress and to recognise that merely having bullying and harassment policies is not enough.
Our workplace training sessions are run by highly trained professionals and cover topics like:
- Stress Awareness & Management
- Mental Health Awareness
- Effective Teams at Work
- Building Resilience
- Workplace Conflict & Negotiations
- Managing Challenging Behaviours
- Communication Skills
- Managing Change in Your Organisation
- Time Management: Priorities & Procrastination
- Work/life balance
- Tailored training that may be required.
A proactive rather than re-active approach to understanding and managing workplace stress is ultimately reflected through strong productivity and growth.
To find out more about our training sessions contact us today on info@safetyservices.net.au or contact Roxayne West on +61 2 9836 3100
For your information Safe Work Australia has released a Draft Code of Practice “Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying” for comment you can find a link to the draft code here.
Here are some upcoming events that you might find relevant to your workplace
