Chapter 13
Harassment and Bullying — Gee, Can’t You Take a Joke?
In This Chapter
Understanding the importance of context and tone
Working out what may be behind harassment and bullying
Using education and workplace policies for prevention
Picking up conflict resolution methods
We just want it to stop.
House of Representatives, Standing Committee on Education and Employment
A more emotionally charged issue in employment than staff claiming they have been bullied and harassed at work probably doesn’t exist. The claim can arise from a physical act, emanate from individual or group behaviour, or come from something that was thought of as a joke shared among work colleagues. Wherever the complaint emanates from, if you manage it badly the consequences for your small business are potentially catastrophic.
In this chapter, I outline your responsibilities as an employer under equal opportunity, sexual harassment and anti-bullying laws, and place these responsibilities in the context of the innumerable list of regulations imposed on your small business. I discuss the possible underlying ...
Get HR For Small Business For Dummies, Australian Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
