Keeping workplace bullies out by bringing a “No Bullies Allowed” policy in

First and foremost, of course the policy itself is not going to prevent bullying. But, knowing there are repercussions for unprofessional aggressiveness may curb it a little by demonstrating management is concerned about a healthy workplace and the psychological well-being of the company’s greatest asset – its employees. And, if a grievance is filed and acted on according to the policy, its effectiveness will certainly start to solidify within the corporate culture.

Most importantly, the policy absolutely must include management’s commitment to a healthy workplace. But saying it in a policy and acting on it are two different things. The Labour Relations Commission in Ireland (who’s had anti-workplace bully laws in place since 1997 by the way) recommends appointing a formal representative outside of management and the “C-Suite” (e.g., Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operations Officers) for conducting training, handling complaints, and advocating an anti-bully attitude. This person could be a team lead that everyone clearly respects, an Employee Assistance Professional (EAP) or an appointee in the Human Resources Dept. This person must also appreciate the value of internal relationships and their positive impact on the bottom line. People create the competitive advantage and are assets to be invested in. Upset and unhappy workers produce upset and unhappy work – with errors, poor quality and reduced output.

Another essential requirement is a definition of bullying, just like you might add in your sexual harassment policy. The anti-bully policy I give to my clients provides this definition:

Bullying is repeated negative acts aimed at one or more individual and causing them psychological damage. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Bullying is recognized has having damaging consequences for the person bullied, the observers of the behavior, and the organization.

The policy ought to delineate management and employee responsibilities for upholding the policy, and provide some kind of training schedule. I recommend awareness training for new hires, as well as annual training for everyone in the company.

Managers should understand how to deal with bullies, work with their departments to minimize bad treatment of team members, handle grievances, and conduct investigations. The entire organization’s training should include not only anti-bully awareness and treating others with respect, but also conflict resolution, negotiation, interpersonal communication, assertiveness, empathy, stress management, leadership, optimism, positive psychology, and self-examination.

Training becomes even more effective when expectations regarding proficiency in these areas are tied to performance and career advancement, and shows up in employee goals and awards programs.

Much like a sexual harassment policy, the anti-bully policy also becomes more successful if a formal grievance procedure that includes investigation of complaints and appropriate disciplinary actions is laid out. Formal grievance complaints must require written documentation from the complainant (and any witnesses if possible); even if the documentation is only the target’s written accounts of interactions with the bully. Memos, emails and other tangible evidence should also be provided to the appointed organizational champion trained to receive such complaints.

Rolling out an anti-bully policy is the first step in the right direction to creating a bully-free work environment… I hope you’ll take it.