Evidence of links to stress correlation between bullying/harassment and stress measures correlation between bullying/harassment and physiological stress response absence reports case studies HSE work

HSE stress indicator tool (Cousins et al, 2004)

12% of all police respondents had been bullied in the previous six months 29% of all police respondents had been bullied in the previous five years 45% of all police respondents had witnessed bullying in the past five years

31% of resigning or transferring officers stated that bullying and / or discrimination was relevant to their decision to leave In a recent exit poll conducted across ten Forces

UNISON, % of police support staff reported they were currently being bullied UNISON, 2000

High staff turnover High absenteeism High sickness rates: regular/prolonged Low morale Loss of initiative Tense atmosphere WORKING ENVIRONMENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT EMOTIONAL Depression Anxiety Loss of confidence Loss of self-esteem Lack of motivation Irritability/ aggression Anger Suicidal thoughts PHYSICAL Sleeplessness Sweating/shaking Palpitations Lethargy Skin complaints Stomach/bowel problem Headaches/ migraine Nausea Panic attacks Excessive tiredness Taken from Police Federation in England & Wales policy document on bullying

Management Indicators of Bullying – Lots of Ideas

Event Hierarchy Legal redress Formal complaint Informal complaint Informal enquiry Bad behaviour PREVENTION INTERVENTION AMELIORATION RESTORATION and LEARNING after Rayner & McIvor (2006)

POLICIES Not all Forces have a specific policy addressing bullying and harassment The general thrust of policies is that bullying/harassment will not be tolerated Responsibility for carrying out any such policy is variously located in managers, supervisors and all members of the Service

Policy Policies are good because they give the individual confidence that the problem will be dealt with. if there aren’t procedures or policies then members of an organisation may think that they haven’t got a chance of talking about or dealing with bullying and harassment

Policy – not all positive… Policies may be interpreted in such a way that there is no room for manoeuvre. The policy is applied rigidly with no consideration of individual case requirements. Policies can be seen as hollow gestures giving the impression that the matter is taken seriously and that the organisation cares about its members, but actually there in order to tick boxes and to protect the organisation

Constructing a good policy 1.Analyse requirements and set criteria 2. Source the policy carefully 3. Development or adaptation through partnership 4. Short and simply written documentation 5. Communication with explanation 6. Evaluation and regular review

Communication, Awareness Raising, Training Policies by themselves are not much use if they sit on a shelf and nothing is done to draw attention to them.

Applying the policy

Even within highly controlled organisations, there are often slight differences in the way that the business of the day is conducted. Do not assume that all parts of the organisation will apply or disseminate the policies in the same way. How are you going to evaluate your policy?

Tackling bullying and harassment requires a strategic approach Policy is a good start, but it is not the full solution Karen McIvor, Ph.D. Bullying999.co.uk Copyright Karen McIvor 2007