Bullying & Harassment Support
Bullying & Harassment in Ireland - Recent Surveys
A recent ERSI survey into bullying and harassment found that, out of 5,000 individuals surveyed:
7% of people alleged bullying in previous 6 months
It is more common in the Public Sector than Private Sector
It is more common in the case of those with temporary contracts of employment
It is more common in bigger employments (a rate of 10.3% in employments with more than 100 employees)
Verbal abuse/insults are the most frequent form of bullying
Of those bullied 54% considered quitting their job,23.8% considered seeking a transfer, 18.4% sought a transfer, 13.6% considered withdrawing from the workforce, 10.4% actually quit their job
Bullying and Harassment - Legislation
Under current employment legislation, companies have vicarious liability in relation to bullying and / or harassment. In other words, when it comes to bullying and harassment, the company is responsible for the actions of its employees, suppliers and customers even if it is not aware that one (or more of this group) is bullying and / or harassing a member of staff.
To defend yourself in this case, a company must show it did everything reasonably practicable to prevent bullying and harassment from occuring and, when it did, the company took immediate and decisive action.
Bullying & Harassment - Preventative Action
A company can protect itself by showing that it took all reasonable steps to prevent the bullying and / or harassment of its employees and by acting quickly and in a fair and consistent manner when it is notified by an employee that he / she is being bullied / harassed.
Support - When You Need It
When it comes to bullying and harassment in the workplace, our team of highly trained and experienced HR and employment advisors can help you immediately by:
Preparing customised bullying and harassment policies for your organisation aligned with current legislation and all codes of practice on bullying and harassment in the workplace
Advising you on what you should do if you receive a complaint of bullying / harassment.
Providing support services in an effort to deal effectively with bullying and harassment issues at the informal stages.
Helping you to conduct a full, fair and consistent investigation into formal complaints of bullying / harassment.
Providing training for managers on how to prevent it, recognise the symptoms of bullying / harassment and how to deal with it informally or formally as appropriate
Providing short briefings / trainings to all your employees
Employment Law Support Hotline
Our Hotline support service is available to you in these complex situations.
A dedicated HR specialist will walk you through each step of a bullying and harassment situation.
We will advice and support you each step of the way. After each step, we will review results with you and advise on the next step, ensuring you work within the law, reduce the rick of damaging claims and litigation and ensure minimum disruption to your workforce.
Next Steps
Contact us for further information.