In a recent survey conducted by the Samaritans charity, a staggering 81% of UK workers have experienced bullying at some point in their careers. Of more immediate worry is the fact that ongoing bullying is a weekly or daily concern for one in four currently working in this country. According to business psychologists Pearn Kandola, more than two-thirds of employers reported an increase in harassment and bullying in their workplace over the past two years.

Despite these alarming statistics, there are precious few companies that consistently monitor bullying and harassment levels amongst their employees. If left unchecked, this sort of behaviour can considerably damage relationships, morale and productivity, so what can be done about it? Below are some tips on how to manage bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Be proactive
Don’t wait for the business culture to degenerate significantly, or for genuine grievances to be exposed only when they have reached boiling point. Try and ensure that your company develops a proactive approach to ensure that it remains alert to instances that may constitute bullying or harassment and can ‘nip them in the bud’.

A good way to achieve this is through an anonymous survey of general company culture, of which a few questions can relate to this sensitive topic. This can give you valuable information as to how the company operates, as well as alerting all employees to the fact that the company cares about, and will not tolerate, harassment in the workplace.

Invest in your company’s culture
It is not in your company’s interests to sustain a culture where bullying or harassment is either ignored or tacitly tolerated. In order for your business to thrive, it is essential that everyone within the company pulls together, and it is part of a good HR’s role to help develop a positive culture based on encouragement rather than threat, on support rather than intimidation.

One method of positively shaping the company culture is through training and development programmes that actively address the concerns.. Only through dialogue will any issues of bullying be resolved, and training is a perfect environment within which to subtly tackle negative behaviour of this nature.

Develop and communicate an evolving policy
Ask yourself whether your existing company manual and procedures are capable of dealing professionally with issues of harassment and bullying. It is essential that the company values are enshrined in a policy document that can be clearly communicated to, and understood by, all employees.

By clearly setting out the company’s views and process for dealing with this issue in black and white, you place the responsibility of adhering to company policy on employees, and the document will be useful to refer to in the event of such an issue.

Lend an ear
Most instances of bullying and/or harassment can generally be dealt with through a confidential chat with the parties involved. Regardless of company policy, a good HR will try to ensure that all employees feel comfortable coming to them with problems of this nature, hopefully allowing situations to be resolved.

In order to do this, you will need to be a good listener, and be able to withhold any judgement or bias until you are fully furnished with the facts from both sides. A culture of open communication is far less likely to harbour bullying tendencies.

Take a balanced view
When called upon to deal with any issue of harassment, it’s important to take a balanced view and not create deeper divisions by taking sides too readily and without full consultation. Similarly, try to offer support to both parties, not just the claimant, as the preferred outcome will generally be one where all participants will need to work together again in the future.

Be seen to take action
Once you have heard from both sides, referred back to company policy, and taken a reasonable position on the severity of the claim, it is imperative that you take action. If the harassment or bullying persists even after a confidential conversation with the parties involved, then you must be seen by employees to be taking action on this issue.

The company manual should give you adequate guidance as to the options open to you in resolving any dispute of this nature, although commonly this can be a verbal and then written warning to the offending party. Acting publicly, once all diplomatic avenues are exhausted, sends a clear message out to the whole company that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and will be dealt with promptly and correctly.

Keep evolving
Given the hierarchical nature of today’s businesses, it is not surprising that some people can have a tendency to abuse the power and status vested in them by their job role and overstep the boundaries occasionally in their dealings with their peers. On a personal level, some people use an aggressive personality as a compensation for their own insecurities, and this can cause problems, regardless of the employee’s position within the company.

For these reasons, a good HR team or officer will be committed to a constant evolution of their thinking within this sensitive area. Tweaks to company procedure may be necessary, although equally important are a vigilant eye and a good ear.

Each occurrence of harassment or bullying is by definition unique and individual – it is up to a skilled HR to recognise this and take appropriate measures to correct and reduce what can be a very traumatic experience for those involved.

For further information about bullying and harassment in the workplace, and to find out the rights of all involved, go to http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/DiscriminationAtWork/DG_10026670