‘Helping’ the bully is a side of the coin that is not much talked about, yet more and more businesses are beginning to realise their role in helping the perpetrator as well as the victim. Annie Hayes reports.

Where we’re at

There’s no shortage of statistics to paint what is a rather bleak picture of bullying in the UK. According to the Andrea Adams Trust, a global workplace bullying charity, as many as 18.9 million working days are lost to bullying every year and up to a half of all stress-related illnesses are a direct result of bullying.

Even more worrying is that, despite legislation designed to stamp out the problems, the trend appears to be on the up.

When the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) last tested the waters in 2006, they found as many as 20 per cent of respondents had experienced some kind of harassment or bullying over a two-year period. This is an increase of 7 per cent since the 2004 survey.

The Association for Coaching (AC), a not-for-profit organisation that carried out a joint survey with the Trades Union Congress and CBI, also found that just under half of employees have witnessed workplace bullying, indicating that the incidences of bullying might actually be higher then the ‘reported’ figures represent.

Marie Strebler, a senior research fellow from The Institute for Employment Studies, says the issue is made even more confusing given that bullying doesn’t lend itself to a legal definition but the statistics indicate loud and clearly that the problem is rife, alive and well in organisations across the UK today.

Raising awareness

Strebler says that part of the problem is that the bullies themselves are often not aware of their own bad behaviours: “There can be a fine line between firm management and bullying behaviour. In this case the first thing to do is raise awareness of the issues.”

Too often, Strebler adds, the bully is blissfully unaware that their actions are causing misery and upset. Often in these cases it’s only when absence and high turnover situations comes to light that the bully is then recognised as the perpetrator of the trouble, which often is news to them as well.

And the problem for many sectors is that bullying behaviours are often part and parcel of the fabric of that culture; take city banks, the services and catering industries where larger than life personalities are often applauded as fine examples of ‘leadership’.

Lyn Witheridge, chief executive officer of The Andrea Adams Trust, says that the key is to look into the culture and stamp out behaviours that over time have become accepted but need changing: “A culture where employees are consulted and problems discussed is less likely to encourage bullying than one where there is an authoritarian management style.”

Recognising behaviours

Strebler points to the Royal Mail, which is well-known for its historical problems with bullying. It now uses a video to raise awareness and demonstrate behaviours of what they consider to be ‘bullying’. Indeed flagging up bullying behaviours and what a bully ‘is’, is a key ingredient for getting businesses on the road to recovery. The AC has published some identification indicators to help bullies recognise themselves (see box below).

The AC advises those who say ‘yes’ to most of the questions to ask, “am I bullying other people?”. The problem, they impress, is that for most people it would take a high degree of self-awareness and courage to answer ‘yes’, not least because answering positively might mean considering how behaviour might be changed.

Withridge says understanding psychologies helps: “In order to learn how to deal with bullies we should understand that bullying is a prehistoric behaviour and is present in us all at one level or another. It is easier to comment on others’ impact on you than your behaviour on others.

“So when I am asked about bullies, my feeling is that the capacity to bully is present in everyone. The difference between the impulse to bully and bullying is enormous; just as having murderous thoughts is light years away from pulling a trigger. It is this instinct to bully that needs to be understood in all its varieties.”

Like the AC, Withridge believes that most people who bully do not recognise their behaviour as such and need to have the impact of their behaviour on others pointed out to them:

“Their reaction will either be one of horror and immediate regret or of aggression and disbelief. Once they have acknowledged the effect their behaviour is having on others, part of their recovery process will be to reassure them that they can still have a future with the organisation but only if they change.” Counselling is one of the methods used.

Counselling

The AC says that those bullies who sign up for coaching often don’t like their own behaviours, once they have recognised them as such, but then don’t know
how to stop; or how else to behave.

Offering techniques in stress management and non-aggressive assertiveness, says Witheridge, are other strands in changing the behaviour pattern of an established bully. “Counselling courses in personal development, training in the development of social skills are also part of the repair package that must be made available by any organisation which cares about the people it employs.”

Using the law

Leon Deakin, a solicitor at Thomas Eggar LLP, offers a good antidote to those sceptical of the benefits of helping bullies. The awards for bullying are severe, he says, particularly so if the bullying or harassment has a discriminatory element such as sex/race/religion

“Even more concerning for employers is the fact that compensation for a discrimination claim is not limited in the same way as for constructive dismissal and a further award can also be made on the basis of injury to the claimant’s feelings,” he adds.

Deakin further warns: “It should also be highlighted that in discrimination cases individual employees can be named as a respondent as well as the employer which could result in other employees ending up being found financially liable for any award.”

Strebler says that in recent research by ACAS, all those who had been through the tribunal process hadn’t regretted it, in a sign that victims are becoming more confident at blowing the whistle. Fear can work both ways.

Policies can help, says Deakin. According to the Andrea Adams Trust, the number of UK businesses now writing up specific policies and procedures and providing specialist training to deal with workplace bullying has almost doubled from 11 per cent in 2006, to 19 per cent in 2007.

Amazingly the City has shown the most progress in its anti-bullying campaigns but, warns Strebler, too often policies are the first and often last step in the fight for fair treatment. “In the best businesses, policies are reinforced with other steps,” he remarks.

Strebler highlights the Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust that has developed a behavioural framework comprising 11 standards, each accompanied by a brief explanation and concrete instances of behaviour required.

It is clear that using legal weaponry and company policy is one way of helping bullies to be aware of the penalties, but those that go one step further and offer coaching, understanding and rehabilitation will be the real winners and should be saluted for not taking the easy options. These businesses are the ones that are willing to take a gamble on the leopard changing its spots.