Stuart has left a new comment:Perhaps the biggest problem of the anti-bullying policy is what to do when a complaint is upheld - have you ever heard of a complaint being upheld? My barrister said most employers would more readily admit to rape. So the policy is a political document that nobody dare implement because they cannot conceive of a fitting punishment. But really it is an immature behaviour that is easily challenged - take the bullies aside, tell them to stop and if they don't comply then strip them of title, authority and responsibility. Prevention is the aim, not punishment - motive is harmless without opportunity. They probably did their old job better anyway, and were promoted to Bully.
6 comments:
In my view, it is less about finding an appropriate punishment and more about loosing control over the outcome.
Also, some institutions simply consider any complainant as the wrong type of employee and mark him/her for elimination.
One can use the Freedom of Information act to obtain such statistics, and to profile an institution (to a degree).
There are complaints that have been upheld, but was the outcome aligned with the interest of the institution?
There is certainly fear that if they loose control of the outcome they also loose control of the process to get to the outcome...
A truly independent and transparent internal investigation that has found a manager guilty of something? The odds are not too good.
So loosing control of process and outcome would in effect mean they are accountable to somebody who monitors them.
We know from HEFCE that they are 'independent' organisations. Judge and jury.
It is possible to access from HEFCE a complaint form and report poor management, BUT first one needs to exhaust all internal procedures... Judge and jury.
There is no clear obligation on universities to maintain and keep records relating to workplace bullying although it is considered to be good practice...
In terms of FOI requests, they can slow down the process, provide incomplete documents, destroy others etc. Again no real accountability and no easy way to obtain evidence.
'There are complaints that have been upheld, but was the outcome aligned with the interest of the institution?' I don't know aout them, but please tell us.
We have surveys, we have booklets, leaflets, union reps, policies, strategies etc but in the end it is all down to th managers and the culture of the organisation: motive is harmless without opportunity.
Just some thoughts...
There are few evaluations that have addressed the impact that an organisation’s bullying interventions/policies/actions have on the ‘targets’, bullies, or other workplace outcomes. This in an area that needs much more work. Some suggestions include auditing bullying policies, exploring WHAT BLOCKS SENIOR MANAGERS FROM TACKLING [preventing] BULLYING.
From: Health and Safety Laboratory,Bullying at work: a review of the literature, 2006. Project Leader: Johanna Beswick. Author(s): Johanna Beswick, Joanne Gore, David Palferman (HSE). Science Group: Human Factors
I submitted a grievance a year ago linked to the bullying I have been subjected to for many years.
I have been invited to TALK to senior managers - the agenda for the meetings has been anything but the bullying behaviour.
The silent witnesses in the university watch from the side lines.
UCU representatives sit by my side...
The bullying continues unabated...
'...LACK OF LEADERSHIP in high-level positions leads to nonsense contentions on their part as to no responsibility extending to the target who is being mobbed, no duty of care owed to them, no right of the mobbed to natural justice or procedural fairness. Without the lack of leadership, mobbing could not occur or, if it did, could not prevail...'
From: Mediocrity and the 'No Change' Principle, a recipe for mobbing
Response to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (9:45)
From a record obtained using the FOI Act in late 2005, two cases were upheld at a UK uni. that were submitted against the same department at the same time.
If these cases have been released under FOI where can they be found?
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