13
Harassment
retain your best workers, and prevents you from
attracting new talent. By helping your company
leadership connect the dots, you’ll be on your way
to building a respectful work environment.
#3
Create a zero-tolerance
culture
With buy-in from the top levels of your company,
you now have the support you need to create a
bully-free culture. Some companies draft written
policies that prohibit bullying or define values of
respect. In the end, however, it isn’t what’s written
on paper that matters but rather the living day-to-
day culture that your organization creates.
To build a culture in which bullying isn’t tolerated,
you need to engage and train your workforce.
First, have managers begin discussions with their
teams or crews about how they want to treat each
other. When employees create their own code of
conduct, they almost always ban bullying behavior,
and employees are more likely to follow the rules
and hold their co-workers to these standards.
Training is also valuable to keep the discussion
current and relevant. Training programs should
be both informative and interactive so employees
understand how to spot bullying and how to
report it. In addition, they should encompass
the entire organization—including managers and
employees at every level of the company—so that
everyone’s on-board.
In addition to training, HR professionals can
proactively work to create a culture in which bullying
gets reported. Today, 50 percent of employees
don’t report the bullying they see or experience,
according to some estimates. By taking the
time to build relationships with employees, HR
professionals build the trust required for employees
to report incidences when they occur.
Likewise, HR professionals can proactively work
to prevent bullying by encouraging managers to
foster a workplace in which employee feedback
is both welcomed and addressed. Managers are
a company’s eyes and ears, as well as guardians
of the culture. Give your managers the tools
they need—with training and support—to build
relationships with their employees.
#4
Know how to handle
bullying when it surfaces
When a bullying complaint is reported, it’s
important to quickly follow up. As you conduct the
investigation, make sure you get all sides of the
story. As with children, the person who throws the
first punch may not necessarily be the one who’s
the bully. In fact, it could be pent-up frustration from
being bullied over a long period of time.
After you’ve concluded the investigation, decide on
a remedial measure commensuratewith the offense.
Does the person need to be terminated? Or is it a
matter of discipline and training? Before disciplining
an employee, make sure you understand what
behavior is and isn’t allowed. For example, if you’re
a supervisor, repeatedly shouting at employees
may constitute bullying behavior. Yet employees
who exercise this same behavior when complaining
to an employer about working conditions may be
within their rights protected by the National Labor
Relations Act.
#5
If in doubt, consult
your attorneys
If you’re unsure, reach out to your attorneys.
Swift action is critical to preventing the situation
from escalating. Yet the wrong disciplinary action
can lead to an expensive legal claim further down
the road. As with any workplace complaint, if an
employee reports bullying, consult your attorneys
to make sure you’re handling the situation in the
best possible way.
Workplace bullying is a growing problem, one that
can quickly spread and spiral out of control. But with
forethought and the right attention, HR professionals
can create a respectful, bully-free culture. To learn
about our training programs or for assistance with
internal investigations, please contact Vigilant at
HR
Jodi Slavik is an Employment Attorney
and Regional Director at Vigilant.
A graduate of Washington State
University and Seattle University,
J.D., Jodi teaches an array of Vigilant
leadership and legal-based training.
She provides employment law counsel
to Vigilant member companies.
