Workplace bullying should not be tolerated
Zero tolerance of workplace bullying means that each member of the work community immediately intervenes in harassment and inappropriate behaviour when they witness it. There is still a way to go: the Harmonius Work Community project of the Forum for Well-being at Work found that talking about workplace bullying is still considered difficult at workplaces. In order to end bullying, we need more knowledge and a change in attitudes.
Maarit Vartia, Chief Specialist at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) talks about the prevention of workplace bullying at the International Symposium on Culture of Prevention, on 25-27th September in Helsinki. The symposium deals with new perspectives to the culture of occupational safety.
In the spring, the preliminary results of the Harmonius Work Community project of the Forum for Well-being at Work revealed that every other occupational safety representative, one third of supervisors and two thirds of trade union officials believed that talking about bullying was difficult at the workplace.
”What makes it difficult is that the person usually does not want to admit that there is bulling at their workplace. The subject causes strong feelings and opposition,” says Chief Specialist Maarit Vartia, FIOH.
Two thirds of supervisors said that bullying cases are dealt with at their workplaces appropriately. Occupational safety and trade union representatives had a more negative view: only about one in three occupational safety representatives and about one in ten trade union representatives agreed with this.
”The respondents said that bullying was dealt with inadequately because it was distressing and uncomfortable to get involved these situations. They also considered it difficult to solve bullying cases. In addition, the victim of the bullying does not always want to make a complaint,” says Vartia
Bullying can only be stopped by a culture that genuinely refuses to accept it
“It is the duty of each member of the work community to report bullying behaviour when they encounter it. Ignoring it sends out the message that bullying is acceptable and permitted,” reminds Vartia.
Organizations must have an anti-bullying policy in place, with instructions on how to act, as this increases awareness and guides the different parties in resolving the situation. However, these systems are seldom adhered to. Supervisor training is not enough: although dealing with bullying is mainly the responsibility of the employer, intervening is the responsibility of the whole work organization.
Bullying can be reduced and zero tolerance achieved by:
- focusing on the prevention of bullying,
- ensuring that the whole organization shares the value that bullying is clearly unacceptable,
- dealing with bullying cases fairly, and
- line management taking responsibility for the problem.
This study was carried out as part of the Harmonius Work Community project of the Forum for Well-being at Work. The survey was directed towards a group of supervisors, occupational safety representatives and officers, and trade union officials and shop stewards, and had 1299 respondents. The project is funded by the Forum for Well-being at Work, The Centre for Occupational Safety, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland, trade union Pro, The Finnish Association of Business School Graduates, The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors, Tehy - the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals, the TJS study centre, SAK, the Office for the Government as employer, the Finnish Confederation of Professionals, and KT - Local Government Employers.
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is organizing the Culture of Prevention symposium in co-operation with the Korean KOSHA research institute, the French INRS research institute and the international ISSA organization. The conference will be attended by 170 researchers and experts from almost 30 different countries.
Further information
Maarit Vartia, Chief Specialist, FIOH, tel. +358 30 474 2790, +358 40 533 9648, maarit.vartia-vaananen[at]ttl.fi
For further information on the symposium, contact Markku Aaltonen, Team Leader, tel.+358 30 474 2784, +358 40 506 7918, markku.aaltonen[at]ttl.fi
Symposium programme: International Symposium on Culture of Prevention – Future Approaches
Further reading
Forum for Well-being at Work www.tyohyvinvointifoorumi.fi > Forum for well-being at work
Projects of the Forum for Well-being at work www.tyohyvinvointifoorumi.fi > Forum for well-being at work > Projects
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health researches, develops and specializes in well-being at work. It promotes occupational health and safety and the well-being of workers. It is an independent institution under public law, working under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It has six regional offices, and its headquarters are in Helsinki. It employs just under 800 people.