Assignment : Writing a Workplace Anti-Bullying Policy

As the instances of workplace bullying and abuse continue to increase, it is important for organizations to take a proactive approach in preventing this behavior. One way to do this is to create and communicate organizational policies about that behavior. By creating an anti-bullying policy, organizations give employees some protection from workplace abuse that is currently not covered by law.

Luckily, your company and HR manager are proactive when it comes to "friending" company employees. As such, your HR manager and immediate boss asks you to write a company policy on "workplace bullying" since the company currently doesn't have a policy and you have just returned from a conference that dealt with the topic.

While at the conference, you attended a lecture and were provided several handouts. You decide to start with them to research information that will help you create an effective policy. Following are the links to three of the handouts:

http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/research/files/bullying.pdf (An informational handout on institutional bullying from the Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries; distinguishes between bullying and harassment.)

http://www.bullyfreeatwork.com/blog/?page_id=48 (A comprehensive webpage on the topic; scroll towards the bottom of the page for links to articles on bullying.)

http://www.crisisprevention.com/Resources/Article-Library/Prepare-Training-Articles/Defining-Workplace-Bullying (Good site for basic information.)

See Module 3 on Canvas for the fourth handout - a paper titled "Responding to Workplace Bullying: The Role of the Ombudsman (A professional keynote paper on the topic.)

Now that you have done your research, you can begin to write your company's policy. During your research, you found an article (Duffy, 2009) that provided a good starting point for writing a workplace bullying policy. NOTE: The elements below provide a simple, generictemplate and is not complete; you must add additional information, or points will be deducted from your assignment. The template only offers an outline for how the elements should be grouped to describe the complaint process.

Template for Workplace Bullying Policy

An effective policy describes the process from the complaint stage to the consequence stage. Duffy (2009) suggests at least 12 elements be included in a workplace abuse policy. The 12 elements are broken down into four (4) sections as follows:

• Section 1: Purpose, Statement & Examples

• Section 2: Complaint and Resolution Process

• Section 3: Action

• Section 4: Consequences

Section 1: Purpose, Statement, and Examples

• Purpose of policy. The purpose of the policy should clearly reflect the values of the organization.

• Statement. Describe the definition of workplace bullying. Also include the organization's position and how the behavior hinders company goals and negatively affects employee health.

• Examples. Indicate examples such as (humiliation, character attacks, isolating an employee, name calling, etc.), but be sure to acknowledge that this type of workplace abuse is not limited to the behaviors listed.

Section 2: Complaint and Resolution Process

• Identify appropriate contact people. Identify the people to contact if there is a problem. The contact list should be across all levels of the organization.

• Informal resolution. This should be an option as long as all parties involved agree to it. It can be an open dialogue between parties to work through the problem. This option would require the person charged to be receptive to information about the affects of their abusive behavior.

• Alternative resolution. Examples include mediation, negotiated agreements, restorative justice, other resolutions agreed to be all parties.

Section 3: Action

• Formal charge. Clarify the procedures on how workplace abuse complaints are handled by the organization from beginning to end.

• Privacy. Distribute a statement of confidentiality to all parties involved.

• Timing. Indicate that the investigation will be conducted in the shortest time possible.

• Results Reporting. Distribution of the results of the investigation will be delivered to both parties separately.

Section 4: Consequences

• Accountability. Discuss the personal and organizational consequences when an investigation has uncovered workplace abuse.

• Appeal. Communicate the appeals process to all employees. Both parties should have the ability to submit an appeal.

Reference:

Duffy, M. (2009).Preventing workplace mobbing and bullying with effective organizational consultation, policies, and legislation.Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 61(3), 242-262.