Harassment in the Workplace is an unfortunate reality for anyone who works in a professional setting. It's no longer about pick up lines and jokes, it's now much more subtle and devious. An Anti-Bullying Training course can help you learn how to deal with this harassment. In fact, an Anti-Bullying Training course could be the first step towards stopping it in the workplace.
Creative Anti-Bullying packages for both the office to home and school, including anti-bullying training, are among the top anti-bullying providers for school staff, youth workers, teachers and management staff. A creative anti-bullying training programme can reduce the risk of experiencing an assault at school or on the job by up to 72%. The vast majority of victims are male (although there have been instances of female victims). This is because male bully victims are often boys who feel that they are being attacked for being a 'wedge' between the boys and the girls - a 'sub-culture' which is becoming more common.
However, there is also a growing number of female victims who are becoming victims of bullying more often. This makes it even more important for companies to have anti-bullying training programmes in place in both their work environment and onsite. There is no room for tolerance of any behaviours that break existing employment laws or are deemed to be discriminatory under the Human Rights Act. A one-day Anti-Bullying program is sufficient to start preventing incidents of bullying in the workplace.
A recent survey found that most businesses, both large and small, had not taken anti-bullying seriously and were lagging behind other industries when it came to implementing policies to combat this issue. In the UK, the government has set up the National Bullying Prevention Strategy, which is an admirable attempt to address an increasing problem, but is simply not enough. The strategy does set out a series of action steps, such as providing bullying support for pupils, encouraging schools to develop a "zero tolerance" attitude, and provide guidance for parents and teachers to help them identify signs of potentially problematic peers. All of these initiatives are commendable, but they fall far short of what is needed to make a real difference to the levels of bullying that occur in the classroom and at work.
One of the measures that is recommended to help create positive working environments for all staff members is the implementation of a "group completion" policy where employees can be rewarded for taking part in anti-bullying workshops or courses. The anti-bullying handbook or online content that is used to implement this policy should include a "group completion" clause, with instructions on how individuals can be awarded points for completing the entire session without leaving the group. Along with this should be a provision encouraging employees to inform the manager or the head teacher of their success (so that individual progress can be monitored), as well as providing an incentive for people who take part in the workshops to return to the group afterwards. These group completion awards can then be converted into cash prizes or other incentives.
Another important anti-bullying training programme that any school or work place can undertake is a one-day workshop that addresses the specific issues that lead to bullying. This could be a course that teaches staff to interact with colleagues and students in an appropriate manner, as well as addressing the behaviour that drives some to engage in bullying behaviour. For example, an anti-bullying training programme might teach staff to avoid being confrontational when speaking to certain individuals, as well as subtly shifting the conversation into a more friendly tone. Staff could also learn how to offer constructive feedback and suggestions instead of making comments that exacerbate the situation.
The anti-bullying policy that a school applies to its own staff should be reflected in its anti-bullyings policy, as well as the policy that charter staff must sign-in to at the start of each school term. A bullying policy should make clear that, while it does not have to mention actual actions taken against a student by another, it does need to identify the behaviour that is expected of staff and what the consequences are if it is not met. Any staff member who fails to sign-in or complete an anti-bullying training course could be subject to disciplinary action under the school's anti-bullyings policy.
Finally, charter school students should be encouraged to sign-in to the anti-bullying website through their school website. This should not just be a web page, but rather a printed sign-in sheet that can be placed on doors and windows, in classrooms and on the desk where children are waiting to be picked up. The sign-in sheet should list the name of the student, their unit, the period of the lesson, the name of the teacher and the location of the school. By using these simple procedures, it is possible for a charter school to ensure that all its staff has adequate anti-bullying policy knowledge, so that when bullying does take place, the appropriate action can be taken.
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