Managing bullying and harassment

Standard 2: Effective workforce planning systems

Effective workforce planning systems

Workplace bullying affects retention, recruitment and can have financial repercussions from legal action and compensation if not addressed.

Almost one social worker in four who responded to a British Association of Social Workers survey in 2023 reported experiencing bullying, harassment and/or discrimination in the previous year. Other surveys show that social workers from minority group backgrounds face a higher risk of such treatment. Experiencing racism significantly affects practitioners’ mental health, job satisfaction and performance, as well as their intentions to stay in the profession.

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 makes harassment based on protected characteristics unlawful. While the Act does not cover harassment unrelated to these characteristics, employers are still legally obligated to ensure the safety of workers, including protection from workplace bullying.

Workplace bullying

Workplace bullying covers a wide range of behaviours such as:

verbal abuse and hostility including insults, name-calling, offensive remarks or shouting at someone
social exclusion by deliberately excluding someone from work-related activities or events
intimidation through threatening behaviour or gestures using a position of power to intimidate or coerce others
undermining work performance with persistent criticism or unwarranted negative feedback
sabotaging or undermining the work of others blocking access to important information
demoting or demeaning through actions that intentionally lower an individual’s status position or self-esteem
cyberbullying through harassment via emails, messages or social media that spread false information online to damage someone’s reputation
interference with work by taking credit for somebody else’s work or deliberately setting them up for failure
excessive monitoring through micromanaging to an extreme degree and/or unreasonably checking someone’s work or activities
spreading gossip about an individual’s personal life to damage their professional credibility

Addressing workplace bullying is crucial for a healthy, supportive and productive work environment.

It is also an important element of effective workforce planning. Employers should implement measures such as:

clear policies which emphasise dignity, respect, and expected behaviours, ideally co-designed to ensure relevance and acceptability
integration of the anti-bullying policy with existing policies related to diversity and inclusion, equal opportunity, and the employee code of conduct
an inclusive climate that promotes tolerance and acceptance, with leaders modelling the desired behaviours
fair processes that address power imbalances, ensuring transparent decision-making and discouraging the abuse of authority
guidance in the form of resources to help employees recognise and prevent bullying
conflict resolution that involves using mediation to resolve disputes and prevent escalation
confidential and accessible reporting mechanisms
disciplinary action for harassment and bullying allegations
prompt investigation of grievances resolved in accordance with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) code of practice
monitoring the workplace regularly for bullying, evaluating anti-bullying measures, and gathering employee feedback could be important to identify areas for improvement

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) offers guidance on effectively tackling bullying and harassment. Business in the Community provides a factsheet for addressing bullying and harassment from people using services and a toolkit on racial harassment and bullying in the workplace. Everyone in the organisation should enforce anti-bullying policies. Research with social workers shows that increasing awareness of the advantages of active peer support and the consequence of inaction is effective.

Why becoming an active bystander will promote workplace safety

A growing movement encourages us all to be active bystanders. Originating from work to prevent sexual violence, it is now widely used to address inappropriate behaviour to ensure workplace safety.

In organisations, we often witness uncomfortable situations and may ignore them, allowing unacceptable comments to become normalised and creating a culture where people feel excluded or unsafe.

Being an active bystander means addressing behaviours that make us uneasy. This helps challenge unacceptable actions and fosters a safer, more inclusive working environment.

To be an active bystander means that we need to intervene safely. Avoid laughing at inappropriate jokes, address microaggressions, and discuss how behaviours affect others.

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Managing bullying and harassment

Effective workforce planning systems

Workplace bullying

Why becoming an active bystander will promote workplace safety