Dominic Raab Resigns

What counts as workplace bullying ?..By Tom Espiner


Employers must try to protect staff from bullying in the workplace, but sometimes it is hard to know what to do about the problem.

Dominic Raab has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister after a report investigating bullying allegations against him was handed to the prime minister.

But how do you know you're being bullied at work, and what can you do about it?

What is bullying in the workplace.?
The UK government defines it as "behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended".

Dispute resolution service Acas says that bullying behaviour can be "malicious or insulting", or an abuse of power that "undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone".

It can be regular or a one-off, happen in person or online, it can be at work or at a work-related event such as a party, and it may not be obvious.

Bullying can range from being very direct, such as verbal or physical abuse, to being subtle, such as excluding people and isolating them.

Bullying could include:

a colleague spreading rumours, or putting you down in meetings

your boss giving you more work than everyone else

someone putting humiliating comments on social media

a manager offering career development opportunities or training to others that you are denied

a boss not giving you chances to show your skills or ignoring you

What does the law say.?
There is no legal definition of bullying, and human resources professional body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says there is no single piece of legislation that covers it.

But there are legal protections. Employers have a duty of care to keep you safe at work, and you may be able to claim for breach of employment contract if this doesn't happen.

Employment lawyer Jessica Rowson at Oakwood Solicitors, who specialises in stress at work, says courts look at intention and the effect of behaviour on an individual.

The lack of a legal definition of bullying can cause confusion for both employees and employers, Ms Rowson adds.

Who can be bullied.?
While the majority of bullying is abuse of power by bosses, it can also be done by peers or

People lower down in the pecking order can bully upwards by showing continued disrespect, refusing to complete tasks, spreading rumours, or doing things to try to make it look as though you are bad at your job.

Even business owners can be bullied, although so-called "upward bullying" is relatively rare.

Bullying can extend to contractors working on site or even job applicants.

However, in practice, most bullying disputes involve someone being bullied by their line manager, according to Michelle Last, employment partner at Keystone Law.

How widespread is bullying.?
Unfortunately workplace bullying is fairly common, with more than one in 10 people suffering, according to the CIPD's latest figures.

It found that 15% of employees said they were bullied at some point between 2016 and 2019.

Women are significantly more likely than men to say they've been bullied.

What can employees do if they are bullied.?
The CIPD says: "Speak up! It's only by challenging unfair treatment that it can be properly dealt with."

One of the first steps is to discuss the problem with a senior manager or HR.

Employment lawyer Anne Pritam at Stephenson Harwood says "sometimes just getting the issue into the open can make a bully back off".

"Often people who are perceived as bullies have no idea that they are seen that way, and an informal word from HR or a more senior manager might show an employee that their actions are having unintended consequences," she says.

It's also a good idea to keep a log of bullying incidents with dates and times, noting how they make you feel, Acas says.

If dealing with the problem informally doesn't work, the next step is to raise a grievance, which is a way of making a formal complaint.

It's also important to look after your mental health.

Jessica Rowson says: "If your mental health is suffering because of the bullying, do try and recognise that this is an important issue to address, and seek out medical support from your GP, who is there to help."

How should an employer handle a bullying complaint.?
People may not report bullying because they think it could harm their careers.

So organisations must have clear procedures for dealing with bullying, and act fairly and quickly to resolve complaints, the CIPD says.

Large employers may have organised systems with employee helplines and teams that handle bullying complaints, says Anne Pritam.

For smaller companies, complaints must be taken seriously and investigated, she says.

If the complaint turns out to be well-founded, the problem needs to addressed - usually through training, coaching or disciplinary sanctions.

Ms Pritam says bullying is "a high-risk issue" and can lead employees who have been consistently poorly treated to resign and sue for unfair constructive dismissal or harassment.

The team's home record is due to "Lazy and Wimpy" remainers apparently. It was reported in the Daily Express.

To be honest, ignore the headlines and take a look at what is considered "bullying" or "aggressive behaviour" in this case, and it is nonsense. He slammed his hand down on the table to make a point. He told someone that their work was "useless". He held his hand up to stop someone talking..................Have any of the people making judgements on this actually worked in a real workplace?
It has also made a very dangerous precedent in that in the future ANY government Minister will be afraid to say anything to a Civil Servant for fear of being hauled up.

Sorry, but when you lead sometimes you have to be a leader.

Civil servants - jobs for life. But don't dare critisize them else their bottom lip will go all wobbly.
Get them to work 6 months in the private sector and let them see what the real world looks like.
Someone banged a table? Gracious! Get the smelling salts. Your poor little darlings.
Pathetic, spineless, lazy, whimpering, covid rule-breaking, privileged babies. Grow up. And if you can't stand a bit of critism, get another job.
I'm not sat on the fence with this one.

I worked for 42 years in the Civil Service.

Been working for the past three and a half years in the private sector (“the real world”) doing roughly the same job but earning significantly more.

From seeing both sides of the fence I can honestly say that myself and the Civil Servants I worked with, worked a dam site harder and were a lot more professional than their private sector counterparts.

It is so easy to slag off The Civi Service if you have never worked in that environment.

Hi Epping,

What constitutes bullying to one employee would certainly be different to another.

As a leader you have to gauge your staff and whilst some may respond to a “dressing down “, others may need the softer arm around the shoulder approach, seeing how you can help them.

Unfortunately Raab comes across as a one trick pony, expecting all staff to respond to a raised voice and banging desks etc.

The sad thing about that book is that the architects are leading us to exactly the opposite of what they arrogantly boasted about!

Shhhhhh.....you will be accused of hijacking a thread

Absolutely