Bullying and Harassment
Bullying and harassment is unwanted conduct affecting the dignity of people in the workplace and may be related to age, sex, religion, race, disability, sexual orientation or any other personal characteristic. It may be persistent or an isolated event, but in all cases the actions or comments are viewed as demeaning and unacceptable to the victim. Bullying is persistent behaviour against an individual that is intimidating, degrading, offensive or malicious and undermines the confidence and self-esteem of the recipient. Harassment is unwanted behaviour that may be related to age, sex, race, disability, religion, sexuality or any personal characteristic of the individual. It may be persistent or an isolated incident.
It is good employment practice for all organisations to have a bullying and harassment policy. This need not be over elaborate, especially for smaller organisations, eg GP practices. A check list for specific policy on bulling and harassment could include the following:
• a statement of commitment from the partners/senior managers
• an acknowledgement that bullying and harassment are problems for the practice/organisation
• a clear statement that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated
• examples of unacceptable behaviour
• a statement that bullying and harassment may be treated as disciplinary offence
• the steps the organisation takes to prevent bullying and harassment
• responsibilities of practice managers/supervisors
• confidentiality for any complaint
• references to grievance procedures (formal and informal), including timescales for action
• investigation procedures, including timescales for action
• reference to disciplinary procedures, including timescales for action counselling and support availability
• training for partners and practice staff and managers
• protection from victimisation
• how the policy is to be implemented, reviewed and monitored.
Further information is available on the Gov.uk website
