Bullying

Bullying occurs when someone repeatedly gets the feeling of being excluded or belittled, when not-so-nice jokes are made or nasty comments are made to someone's (social media) address, when someone is stalked, when someone receives unnecessary and incessant criticism, when working is made impossible for someone, or when there is gossip about someone.

The Working Conditions Act contains regulations to guarantee safety, to protect health and to promote the well-being of employees. In summary, the manager must ensure a safe and pleasant working environment. This goes beyond just protecting an individual employee in such cases. The manager must take active and preventive measures to protect employees against bullying and to tackle bullying behaviour. This also includes employees such as cleaners, interns and temporary workers.

• talk to the bully(s) about the behavior
• make concrete agreements about improving behaviour and record them, have them sign and evaluate the agreements
• point out the consequences of the behaviour to the bully(s) and record them
• also use the annual appraisal to address bullying
• record things in the personnel file
• call in the confidential adviser for advice on the approach
• if necessary, contact the company doctor, P&O, company social work
• if necessary, take disciplinary action in consultation with P&O and/or the legal department

How do you deal with a complaint from someone in your team about a colleague:

• realize that the reporter has taken a big hurdle and take him seriously
• ask what the reporter wants to achive with the complaint
• ask for the facts and don't rely on emotions
• don't take sides
• focus on the behavior
• gather information quickly
• ask the reporter to provide a (written) report of situations that occur with word use, time, location and concrete descriptions
• speak to both parties separately and, if necessary, to both parties at the same time
• disapprove of the bullying behavior and indicate how you want the manners in the workplace to be and continue as under 'You observe bullying'

• realize that you have an exemplary role and act accordingly
• publish the policy on transgressive behaviour in your department
• during annual appraisals, ask about the experience of the working atmosphere as a fixed part
• be alert to the working atmosphere and regularly monitor how employees experience it
• be alert to (short-term) absenteeism
• ask about the prevention of bullying in the RI&E and include control measures in the PoA
• ask about the employee satisfaction survey