WORKPLACE BULLYING : News

Union urges zero tolerance on workplace bullyingStaff and agencies guardian.co.uk, Monday October 02 2006 12:08 BST The union Amicus complained today that bosses were failing to do enough to tackle workplace bullying.

The manufacturing union said that bullying at work could "destroy" lives and urged companies to take a zero tolerance approach to the problem.

Research among 300 workers showed that only 2% of employers had a policy of zero tolerance towards bullying, while most had never studied the impact of the issue on productivity.

Amicus claims that bullying costs industry an estimated £2bn a year in sick pay, staff turnover and loss of production, while one in 10 workers said they had been bullied.

Derek Simpson, the union's general secretary, said: "Our project aims to tackle this problem in partnership with employers by taking a zero tolerance approach to bullying from the outset.

"One of the most effective ways of dealing with bullying behaviour is to nip it in the bud and this often involves dealing with situations informally before they go too far and real damage is done.

"We will be taking these findings to workplaces across the country and we hope employers will join us in spreading dignity in the workplace."

The DTI has given its support to the campaign. Trade and industry secretary, Alistair Darling, said: "Bullying at work is a big problem and employers need to be aware of it.

"It corrodes employees' self-confidence and self-esteem and leads to a hostile working environment. It's bad for staff and it's bad for business.

"People who feel harassed or victimised can't do their job properly, and businesses that do not tackle bullying suffer from days lost through stress and illness, decreased productivity and damage to their reputation."

**Staff and agencies guardian.co.uk, Monday October 02 2006 12:08 BST