Bullying in the Workplace on the Rise: ACAS

A new study from ACAS has revealed that bullying in the workplace has increased across the UK with more people than ever suffering harassment.

Alarmingly, the study showed that while bullying in the workplace was increasing, more people than ever were unwilling to report the bullying with job insecurity and other factors resulting in people being afraid to speak up.
 
ACAS reported that they had received more than 20,000 calls regarding workplace harassment and bullying with the organisation calling for companies to take such complaints much more seriously than they currently do.

“Bullying on the Rise” in UK Workplaces

While bullying, in general, was common in the UK workplaces, there was a marked increase in the trend regarding certain groups of employees. Public sector ethnic minority workers were one of the most likely groups to be the victim of workplace bullying as well as workers with disabilities. Lesbian, gay and transgender employees as well as women in male-dominated workplaces were also likely to suffer from discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

According to some experts, unskilled managers were a catalyst for bullying and harassment in the UK by failing to deal with incidents in the workplace. Often managers opted to move those involved in an incident to a different team of office rather than solving the problem. This meant that there was still resentment and some issues that could flare up and once again affect business.

The chair of ACAS, Sir Brendan Barber, also stated that poor management was a reason for the growth of the amount of bullying seen in the workplace. He said that there was no doubt that bullying was on the rise in the UK. In a statement he said: "Callers to our helpline have experienced some horrific incidents around bullying that have included humiliation, ostracism, verbal and physical abuse.

"But managers sometimes dismiss accusations around bullying as simply personality or management style clashes, whilst others may recognise the problem but lack the confidence or skills to deal with it."

The TUC stated that there must be zero tolerance policy in the workplace to ensure that the amount of bullying in the workplace reduces. The organisation urged employers to put a code of conduct in place that would allow workers to know what was acceptable and what would not be tolerated in the workplace.

Employment Disputes: Taking Legal Action

If you have been overlooked for a promotion, harassed or discriminated against as due to taking legal employment action, or a result of your religion, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation you could be entitled to compensation.

We understand that taking legal action against an employer can be daunting; however, you have the right to take action if you have been mistreated in the workplace. Many people do not take such action fearing they could lose their job, however, if this is the case then you will be able to make a claim citing unfair dismissal.

Contact Us

Our team of expert solicitors will inform you of exactly what is needed when making an employment claim. You may need to provide a significant amount of evidence to build the strongest possible claim, however, when you call our expert team will inform you of exactly what is needed and offer you tailored advice. Get in touch with our team today using our online contact form or call us on 0333 200 5927.

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