Organisations have policies that outline how managers and staff should respond to instances of bullying and harassment. The policy will take the view that:

• everyone in the organisation is responsible for creating a safe environment;
• the important thing is not the intention behind behaviour so much but how that behaviour is experienced by the complainant.

The policy will suggest a whole range of behaviours that might be construed as ‘bullying (e.g. setting unrealistic deadlines, spreading malicious rumours, humiliating someone in public, verbal abuse).

But in practice, there are few hard and fast ‘rules’ in this area of work life because:

• people can perceive the ‘same’ behaviour quite differently;
• the work culture itself may support bullying practices;
• people keep quiet about it for fear of making it worse;
• bullying behaviour can get confused with cultural difference, personal style, management style and so on.

Our approach helps you to create an environment in which behavioural issues are openly discussed so that when problems arise, staff and managers alike are better able to resolve them. We will:

• enable your staff to understand the issues, their personal responses, and what action they can take;
• equip ‘confidential contacts’ with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective in their role;
• develop in managers the skills and knowledge they need to identify problems, take appropriate action and be good role models.

The experiential approach allows managers to practice different strategies through a combination of an interactive live action scenario and
role play. The learning is then supported by action learning or coaching to ensuree that it leads to changes in practice.