Dignity At Work Project

Background

It is well reported that workplace bullying is a significant issue for employers who wish to maximise effectiveness and attract, recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible. Research has demonstrated that staff who are subject to bullying or who work within a culture of intimidation are more likely to suffer from work related stress, more likely to take time off work sick, and as a result less likely to work to their full potential. Bullying in the workplace is also linked to an increase in costly employment tribunals and damage to an organisation's reputation and the confidence of customers.

Across NHSScotland much has been done to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace and to promote the standards of behaviour that are acceptable and expected in each organisation. However, staff survey results and feedback from Staff Governance committees still suggest that bullying and harassment is a significant issue across our workplace.

It is important to note however, that Dignity at Work in NHSScotland extends beyond a workplace free of bullying and relates also to a working environment where one feels dignified: doing valuable work in a supportive environment for fair reward. For example, Dignity may come from the physical environment or ability to control workload etc and the components that add up to Dignity at Work will vary from individual to individual.

To improve the experience of the NHSScotland workforce and to tackle the drain on NHSScotland resources caused by workplace bullying and harassment the Scottish Government Health Directorates commissioned the NHS Scotland Dignity at Work Project. The outputs of this project are contained within the following pages.