Bullying beyond the playground

Workplace bullying is bad for business and safety – make sure your site takes a stand against it!

Site Safe’s work with the construction sector has identified that some of the main reasons workers knowingly violate safety rules is because of pressure from their boss or their peers to take shortcuts, in most instances to save time. There is a culture that tells them to ‘harden up’ and many workers even say unsafe acts are expected.

Recently released guidance suggests that if a worker is intimidated by someone else on a construction site to carry out an unsafe act repeatedly – it is bullying, something which it highlights as a significant hazard in New Zealand.

Bullying is bad for business

Bullying affects people physically and mentally, resulting in increased stress levels, decreased emotional wellbeing, reduced coping strategies and lower work performance. It can reduce productivity and disrupt workplaces through:

• Impaired performance.
• Increased absence.
• Low morale.
• More mistakes and accidents.
• Loss of company reputation.
• Resignations and difficulty recruiting.
• Poor customer service and/or product quality.

Bullying breaches legislation

Under Part 2, Section 6 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act, every employer needs to take all practicable steps to provide and maintain a safe working environment – this should include dealing with bullying by having policies in place. Employers who don’t deal with it also risk breaching the Employment Relations Act 2000, the Human Rights Act 1993 and the Harassment Act 1997.

WorkSafe guidance

WorkSafe New Zealand recently released best practice guidelines on how to deal with workplace bullying.

New Zealand does not have laws specific to workplace bullying, but the guidelines are a big step forward in supporting and guiding businesses and individuals in dealing with this prevalent workplace hazard.

The “Preventing and responding to workplace bullying” guidelines offer comprehensive insight into what workplace bullying is, provide advice to employers and employees, define roles and responsibilities for preventing and managing it and uses case studies as examples.

It also encourages and supports people in taking early self-help action before seeking external forms of assistance, such as WorkSafe NZ or the mediation service offered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The definition of bullying provided in the guidelines states that it must be repeated, unreasonable, targeted and creating risk to health and safety; a single instance doesn’t count.

The specific and targeted advice for both employees and employers includes:

• Advice for employees on how to assess if you are being bullied, how to record instances of bullying behaviour and a range of low-key solutions.
• Advice for employers on how to best respond to reports or allegations of bullying and promote a healthy and respectful work environment.

The guidelines are available on WorkSafe NZ’s website, along with several online tools including:

• An ‘Am I Being Bullied?’ checklist.
• A flowchart of actions for dealing with being bullied.
• A calculator tool for employers to assess the cost of bullying.
• A workplace assessment tool that measures organisational culture with a view to preventing bullying.

Benefits of a bully-free workplace

Studies indicate that safe and healthy workers have higher morale and are more productive – they are more likely to help identify and resolve problems, plan ahead and be part of a positive workplace environment. Help to make New Zealand construction sites safe working environments by getting on top of workplace bullying and preventing harm!

Important to note:

The New Zealand Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 is currently being reviewed.
Head to Site Safe’s website for more information: http://www.sitesafe.HSEreformHUB.
Find more information and useful tools on providing a healthy and safety construction workplace, either head to www.sitesafe.org.nz, email comments@sitesafe.org.nz or call 0800 SITE SAFE

More information

For more information on these guidelines, go to: http://www.business.govt.nz/worksafe/information-guidance/all-guidance-items/bullying-guidelines

About Site Safe

Vision: Construction – proud to be safe. Contact Site Safe at 0800 SITE SAFE or visit www.sitesafe.org.nz.
Site Safe NZ Inc is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that promotes a culture of safety in the New Zealand construction and related industries.