Confronting Misconduct: Insights from the Public Service The recent release of the 2013-14 Australian Public Service (APS) State of the Service report provides some interesting kernels of data around workplace misconduct, including corruption and bullying. In particular, the report paints quite a discomforting picture of misconduct being on the increase – despite everything that the […]
How to Handle Workplace Bullying Is bullying a problem in your workplace? According to a regulation impact statement produced by Safe Work Australia, the prevalence of bullying in Australian workplaces is between 3.5 and 21%. The cost of bullying to businesses in terms of lost productivity and absenteeism amounts to millions of dollars every year, […]
When Should You Report Workplace Bullying? Workplace bullying can be toxic to organisations and can have a long-term physical and emotional impact on victims. If someone you know is being bullied at work, it’s important to know when to report it. Workplace bullying is defined as repeated and unreasonable behaviour which is directed towards an […]
A recent attempt by a former employee to take action against ANZ bank for bullying has been dismissed due to the fact that the employee is no longer working for the bank. According to the deputy president of the Fair Work Commission, the employee had no reasonable prospects of success so continuation of the case […]
A recent ruling by the Federal Circuit Court found that a law firm hadn’t taken adverse action against one of its solicitors after she complained of bullying and sexual harassment in December 2011. Emails sent from the solicitor to the firm where she stated that she wanted to consider how to part ways amicably and […]
Workplace bullying has been identified as a serious problem in a large number of Australian organisations. According to a recent report produced by government organisation Safe Work Australia, workplace bullying affects between 3.5% and 21% of the Australian workforce and costs businesses and organisations around $6 billion a year. Although “bullying” is a commonly […]
New changes to workplace bullying legislation have so far showed underwhelming results according to a Fair Work Commissioner with the first substantive order under the new act being made almost three months after the new system came into effect. The changes were made to the Fair Work Act 2009 last year in response to the […]
Video: The anti-bullying amendments to the Fair Work Act, introduced on 1 January 2014, mean that employers can no longer overlook complaints of workplace bullying. It sends a clear message that bullying in the workplace will no longer be tolerated. WISE CEO Harriet Stacey gives examples of recent instances when workplace bullying has been […]
A recent case determined by the Fair Work Commission provides some important lessons for employers about bullying dismissals. In Harris v Workpac Pty Ltd [2013] FWC 4111 the Commission found in favour of the applicant and determined that her dismissal for gross misconduct for bullying a co-worker was unfair. Mrs Harris was dismissed on 20 […]
Does your team know the difference between workplace bullying and reasonable management action? Do your policies and procedures reflect the new draft Code of Practice for Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying? When an employee makes a complaint of workplace bullying, will your staff know how to respond, come January 2014? Ensure you are not […]