Feeling Bullied? Big grievances start small…
Most big grievances start as a series of smaller instances that employees let slide until they begin noticing a pattern. This can sometimes take months to become apparent, and when employees choose to address it, their first point of call is often a formal complaint.
Employees who feel bullied may be needlessly damaging workplace relationships by making a formal complaint their first point of call. This can be very hard to come back from. If there’s something that’s happened, whether it seems small or not – if it doesn’t sit right with you – if it doesn’t make you feel comfortable about dealing with that person or coming to work, then it’s time to nip it in the bud before it gets any bigger. If you feel there is no way you could directly approach the person yourself, you could seek the assistance of someone else eg a trusted colleague or contact person or workplace union rep. To start with threats of formal complaints will escalate issues, so the issue needs to be approached in a really practical, assertive way, not an aggressive way. Then it can actually restore and build relationships
However, some behaviours do call for a stricter approach, such as repeated offences after a colleague has tried to address the problem or where it involves employees in positions of seniority and employees find it more difficult to approach a leader about their behaviour. That’s going to be very challenging to do in an informal way.
Although there is definitely a place for both approaches, perhaps consider the other person before making a formal complaint. If that was you, would you prefer that you had that opportunity to at least hear the other person’s perspective before they took it up formally. Often it is just a misunderstanding.
Even if bullying doesn’t directly affect an individual, it’s important to watch out for smaller behavioural issues occurring around the workplace that colleagues may be brushing off. This can include small things such as colleagues being excluded from meetings or actively ignoring specific people, which can easily go unnoticed. Although colleagues cannot make formal complaints about bullying on behalf of a colleague, they are able to begin the informal resolution process by talking to the people involved or others who are better placed to informally assist.
Members should call our office on 08 8410 0122 for advice. Not a member of the IEU? Join before you have an issue – click here
