Bullying is best dealt with when staff, their representatives and managers work in partnership. Where information is shared, instances of bullying and harassment issues can be resolved quickly, having been effectively nipped in the bud.
Dignity at Work Toolkit
What is Dignity at Work?
Being valued, being listened to and being treated with respect are just some of the things that add up to a Dignified Workplace.
Research tells us that if we combine dignified work with a dignified workplace then we will have dignified workers. This theory has driven the work of the Dignity at Work project. We believe that by focusing on the actions that support us to build a dignified workplace we will be successful in tackling bullying and harassment and support employers make sure people do feel valued, listened to and treated with respect as they go about their work in NHS Scotland.
Doing work of social value, i.e. work that is recognised as ‘good work’ is what researchers call dignified work, and we believe that every role in NHS Scotland fits the bill as every one of us contributes to the health and wellbeing of the nation.
What is bullying?
Bullying at work means harassing, socially excluding someone or negatively affecting someone's work tasks. In order for the label bullying (or mobbing) to be applied to a particular activity, interaction or process, it has to occur repeatedly and regularly (e.g., weekly) and over a period of time (e.g. about six months). Bullying is an escalating process in the course of which the person confronted ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts.
Bullying damages lives. The emotional stress it inflicts can lead to poor work performance, absenteeism, even force an individual to leave their job. Conversely, Dignity at Work in practice has a profoundly energising effect on employees’ feelings of integrity, self-respect, pride and motivation.
Building a dignified workplace isn’t rocket science but it does take a lot of effort from everyone involved to build a strong foundation. We think there are 5 building blocks that you will need to be successful in promoting respect and tackling bullying in the workplace.
1. Partnership Read More
2. Understanding Read More
The policies and practices that support Dignity at Work need to be widely understood across NHS Scotland. That means there has to be effective communication of good quality information for all on what is and isn’t an acceptable standard of behaviour.
3. Relations Read More
A dignified workplace is where there are effective working relations between colleagues. Personal conflicts, which can be extremely unpleasant and have a damaging effect around the workplace where they exist, are not bullying as such but need to be addressed. Conversation and mediation are effective first steps in resolving working relationship differences.
4. Environment Read More
The working environment should offer equality of opportunity and value the contribution of each individual. People at work need to be aware that their views count, because an engaged employee is more motivated and more likely to respond positively to workplace policies. The more input from employees, the more successful the outcome.
5. Leadership Read More
Managers must have the confidence and capability to manage and recognise their responsibility to manage. The plain fact is that effective people-management is the most successful counter to bullying and harassment. By taking a lead, managers also make it clear to employees that the problem is being dealt with properly.