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Workplace bullying in Australia – is it happening in your workplace?
Workplace bullying in Australia is on the rise and it appears no workplace is immune. Apart from the obvious impact on the individuals concerned, The Productivity Commission estimates that workplace bullying is costing the Australian economy between $6 billion and $36 billion every year.
The Australian Workplace Barometer (AWB), an evidence-based, science-driven project commissioned by Safe Work Australia (SWA), which monitors Australian work conditions shows that Australia has the sixth-highest rate of workplace bullying when compared with 34 European countries. According to SWA, the national average rate of workplace bullying has increased by 40%. This is supported by independent research conducted by the mental health charity, beyondblue, who suggest that almost 50% of all working Australians will experience bullying at some time in their work life.
Given that research shows that workplace bullying has an even greater impact on employees than sexual harassment, it’s clear that this is an area where Australian organisations need to clean up their act.
The cost of workplace bullying to Australian organisations and employees
Workplace bullying leads to increased absenteeism, increased rates of depression and anxiety and increased costs for employers, both in lost time and productivity. And that’s before you count the cost of work cover claims, recruitment activity to replace people who have resigned because of bullying and lost corporate knowledge and employer reputation.
The health effects of workplace bullying in Australian organisations is well-documented and includes (though is not necessarily limited to):
Stress
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Disrupted sleeping patterns
High blood pressure
Ulcers
The knock-on effect of these health impacts vary, but are never good for the business. Disrupted sleeping patterns can lead to poor focus on the job, for example. Stress, anxiety and high blood pressure can lead to anger and a toxic workplace environment.
Collected together, the negative impact on employees who are being bullied include:
Lower productivity
An inability or hesitancy to make decisions
Time wasted in avoiding the bully, defending themselves, or finding ways to deal with the situation
Networking for support (creating a “grapevine effect” of criticism and complaint across the organisation)
All of this is before the employee eventually quits in distress and leaves a very negative review on Glassdoor about their experience at your workplace, often making it harder for you to find the best talent, or in the most extreme cases, take legal action against your organisation.
Watch out for the warning signs of workplace bullying
So, the big question is… Is there a risk that bullying may be happening in your workplace? Do you know how to recognize it when you see it? Do you know what to do when you see apparently normal behaviour in an escalating staff member into something else?
Some signs that there might be bullying behaviour going on in your workplace include:
A staff member is being ignored or excluded, both socially and within their work teams Minimisation, where one person on the team always seems to have their ideas ignored, or they’re assigned the worst or simplest tasks
There’s outright hostility between team members. An isolated argument is nothing to worry about, but if it becomes a pattern, there’s something to it
One person on the team always seems to be the target of criticism
There is evidence that one person on the team is taking credit for the work of another person
There is outright lying and deception going on in the organisation
There’s someone on the team that seems to be getting blocked from promotion, having responsibilities removed from them, and otherwise having their job changed without cause.
If you observe any of these warning signs, you really need to take it up with your employees to determine if there is some bullying of that person going on. Or you need to get an expert to do it for you.
Protecting yourself from a bullying claim or investigating one that has been made by an employee can be a very distressing experience for employers. It is made even more stressful when you are navigating a minefield that is unfamiliar to you.
We can minimize the stress for you. Our workshops and confidential coaching programs will help you understand what workplace bullying is, how to prevent it and how to appropriately and sensitively investigate any complaints that are made.