HACSUassist receives calls regarding a vast range of industrial issues, and one of the most prevalent issues is bullying in the workplace.
 
Bullying is defined as “the repeated less favourable treatment of a person by another or others in the workplace, which may be considered unreasonable and inappropriate workplace practice”.
 
Conflicts, differences of opinion and personality clashes can happen at work, but if the behaviour goes beyond a one-off disagreement, increases in intensity or becomes offensive or harmful to someone, it’s bullying.
 
Bullying can range from very obvious behaviour to very subtle behaviour. Some of this behaviour may include:

• Physical or verbal abuse
• Yelling, screaming or offensive language
• Excluding or isolating employees
• Psychological harassment
• Intimidation
• Assigning meaningless tasks unrelated to the job
• Giving work that’s unreasonably above or below a worker’s ability
• Undermining work performance by deliberately withholding information vital for effective work performance

If you feel you are being bullied in your workplace, you should document the alleged bullying behaviour with information such as dates, times and any witnesses to the incidents, and give HACSUassist a call for advice. We provide support and guidance throughout this stressful time and all calls taken are confidential. If you need support, please don’t hesitate to call us on 1300 880 032.