One in five
Kiwis bullied at work
NZPA April 15, 2010, 6:27 am
New Zealand has some of the highest rates
of workplace bullying in the world, with nearly one in five employees being
subjected to overbearing or belittling behaviour at work, new research shows.
A survey of 1728 workers in the health,
education, travel and hospitality sectors found 18 percent had been bullied,
while 75 percent had suffered workplace stress.
The research, funded by the Department of
Labour and the Health Research Council, was conducted by a multidisciplinary
team from Auckland, Massey and Waikato universities, and Birbeck
University in London.
Study leader Tim Bentley, associate head
of Massey University's school of management, said levels of workplace stress
and bullying were greater than expected.
Bullying was "notably higher" in
the health and education sectors, where ineffective leadership was one of the
main causes.
The researchers also found television
representations of foul-mouthed and abusive chefs may not be far from the
truth, with belittling behaviour an accepted and "normalised" part of
hospitality culture.
"Bullying
is happening and it is not being addressed. It has long been accepted that this
is the way of working -- if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the
kitchen," Prof Bentley said.
Employers across all the surveyed sectors
had a limited understanding of the problem and how to address it, the research
found.
It also found reporting structures were
ineffective, with bullying being addressed as part of wider harassment or
violence initiatives.
"There
needs to be a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying and this requires a
cultural change," Prof Bentley said.
"We need to be confident enough to
challenge people if we see this happening and strategies need to be identified
to prevent it in the workplace."
The Department of Labour's head of
employment relations, Lesley Haines, said the research sounded a warning that
employers should ensure robust practices and procedures to deal with bullying
were in place.
Although the research did not suggest
bullying was widespread across all workplaces, employers should not be
complacent, she said.
"They
have a duty under the Health and Safety in Employment Act to provide a healthy
and safe workplace. This includes having a workplace in which bullying is not
tolerated," Ms Haines said.
Employers should have clear systems in
place to deal with complaints and ensure they are investigated impartially, she
said.
Employees who feel unable to make a
complaint should seek support from family or friends, discuss the matter with
their union, or seek assistance from the department, Ms Haines said.
The Labour Department offers resources and
mediation services to help employers deal with bullying, and was developing a
fact sheet to provide guidance in dealing with the issue, Ms Haines said.
The findings of
the study will be distributed to industry groups, and the Labour Department
fact sheet will be made available to employers and staff.