Fostering a respectful workplace: Strategies to eliminate bullying and harassment

As a leader or manager within an organisation, can you honestly, hand on heart say your workplace is a safe place to work free from bullying and harassment?

Whatever your answer, it is paramount for employers to check and recheck to ensure you create a workplace that is respectful and free from bullying and harassment.  We should all be promoting a culture of inclusivity – which is changing every day to ensure our employees’ well-being is protected and they feel – well, safe!

Here are some key strategies and advice to keep on top of inclusivity and eradicate bullying and harassment from your workplace:

1. Establish a clear anti-bullying and harassment policy – clearly define what is adequate behaviour.
   Promote a culture of respect and inclusivity – make sure you engage staff and involve staff in everyday events and policy development.
2. Encourage open communication and discussions that are respectful – we cannot all agree on everything, and we are entitled to our opinions, but should respect each other’s positions.
3. Provide regular training to all employees and managers.
4. Ensure you and your managers lead by example – it cannot be one rule for one and one for managers!
5. Monitor the workplace – get to know your people.
6. Establish a zero-tolerance policy – call out poor behaviour and microaggressions.
7. Support those staff who have been targets of bullying and harassment.
8. Regularly evaluate and adapt policies to ensure you are up to speed with changes to suit your workplace and environment.

Workplace dynamics evolve, and our anti-bullying and harassment and inclusion policies must evolve with them. Periodically review and update these policies to stay aligned with current best practices and legal requirements.

To be frank – the world had changed, and you have legal obligation as well as a moral one.

It is irrelevant whether you agree or disagree, you must have a consistent approach and ensure you are objective in the way that you deal with issues – personal views need to be put aside.

Employers must lead the way by implementing strong policies, fostering a culture of respect, and actively addressing issues when they arise. By following these strategies and advice, we can create a safer and more inclusive workplace where employees can thrive and contribute to be their best.

This is a complex topic area when we start to talk about inclusion and protected characteristics, personal views and beliefs. We have seen individuals be dismissed just because they are raising awareness.  So, if you require assistance to pull together a new policy or strategy to help avoid bullying and harassment, do contact us.