A Code of Conduct sets out the ‘golden rules’ or guidelines in which employers and industry bodies codify acceptable standards of behaviour in the workplace. Individual businesses can develop their own Codes of Conduct applicable to their specific interests. Many professional bodies also implement standardised Codes of Conduct covering behaviour which is perceived as […]
During the seventies and eighties, organisations started to realise that the improper use of power and authority and undeclared and/or ineffectively managed conflicts of interest, posed a significant risk to their integrity and public trust. The requirement for ethical business dealings focuses the spotlight on conflicts of interests and the factors involved in creating […]
When faced with an allegation of serious misconduct made against a worker, an organisation may seek to suspend the respondent. But in what situations is it appropriate to take this kind of action? tHE LEGALITY OF SUSPENSION When taking the significant step of temporarily suspending an employee, an organisation must be able to demonstrate […]
A disproportionately high number of allegations of bullying in emergency services and other high stress environments have led to a referral to the NSW parliament for an inquiry in May 2017, looking at the policy response to bullying, harassment, and discrimination in certain emergency services. A review is also being conducted by the Victorian […]
Staff who are subject to increased employer supervision or performance management may feel that they are being personally victimised, attacked or even bullied. It may be difficult to distinguish between reasonable performance management and bullying, especially when the worker involved is sensitive by nature, has personal stress factors, fails to acknowledge their own performance […]
One of the most challenging aspects for employers attempting to deal with workplace bullying or misconduct is getting to the truth of allegations, especially in circumstances where the apparent victim’s version of events contradicts that of the alleged bully. Most of the time, this disparity can be put down to differences of opinion or misinterpretation […]
Most workplace investigators operate fairly and thoroughly, producing high quality reports following each investigation. Yet oversights do occur – and some investigators have been known to miss vital clues or pieces of the workplace puzzle.Similarly, even though all essential material might be uncovered during an investigation, it still might not be accurately incorporated into the […]
Sometimes when we investigate issues of misconduct and/or corruption in workplaces, we find ourselves asking – why didn’t anybody notice this earlier? Yet more often than not the answer to this question will be that people at least partially knew, but for a number of reasons they felt unable to act. Those reasons tend to […]
By Andrew Hedges WORKPLACE CORRUPTION AND SOCIAL IDENTITY If you’re new to an organisation and you’re given a company credit card for work-related expenses such as taking clients out to lunch or for travel purposes, your social identity can be tied in to how the workplace culture “interprets” that company credit card. This ties in […]
The saying “safety in numbers” can apply to so many situations. For example, a group of students may be more empowered than an individual to stand up to a school bully. Walking dark city streets with a group of people may be safer than walking alone. The list goes on. But the term can also […]