Positive/Effective Work Environment & Workplace Bullying Awareness & Prevention Jacinta M. Kitt

Definition A work environment that provides a high quality service in an atmosphere of respect, co-operation, openness & equality. Positive / effective work environment

Creating and maintaining positive relationships at work  Positive language and behaviour  Encouragement and recognition  Listen as well as talk  Beware of non-verbal messages  Discuss and resolve conflict  Address and challenge inappropriate behaviour without personal criticism  Show compassion warmth and good humour  Don’t take yourself too seriously

The Manager’s Role  Being an effective manager  Modelling appropriate interpersonal behaviour  Using effective communication skills to deal with difficult situations

Emotional & Social Intelligence  Fine-tuned and insightful Self-awareness and Self-Management  Positive and productive relations and interaction with others

Good Self Managers  Have good emotional self control  Tend to be even tempered  Can be passionate  Think clearly when they are experiencing strong feelings  Make decisions based on their hearts & their heads

Stress as a Social Issue  Toxic relationships are considered to be as major a risk factor for disease & death as smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Social Stressors at Work  Workplace bullying or harassment  Poor management practices  Toxic inter-personal behaviours

What is inappropriate interpersonal behaviour in the workplace?  Inappropriate interpersonal behaviour is behaviour that impacts negatively on a person’s ability to do their job.

Why managers don’t intevene:  Don’t know what to do & lack skills  Have skills (been trained) but lack confidence  Choose to ignore because it will detract from time & energy spent on task  No point because they (the manager) will not be supported by the organisation  Haven’t done anything in the past - why now?  Fail to identify behaviours as problematic Rayner & McIvor, Uk Dignity at Work Project, 2006

What is bullying? Heinz Leymann Bullying is the systematic erosion of:  a person’s possibility of communicating  their reputation  their relationships  the quality of their work/school/family life  health

Organisational Responses to Bullying Dismissive Minimum Compliance Reactive Proactive

Organisational Beliefs & Attitudes  Bullying is a form of abuse, with serious individual & organisational effects.  We have to do something.  Creating a bullying free environment will have knock on beneficial effects on effectiveness & productivity.  The organisation’s culture & climate can prevent or promote bullying.  Bullying will not thrive in an organisation with a positive effective work environment.  The organisation’s response must cover prevention, intervention & minimisation.  Problems are more quickly resolved when aired & dealt with than when repressed or hidden.  It is the organisation’s responsibility to provide a psychologically safe working environment. Proactive

Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act Code of Practice Prevention & Resolution of Bullying at Work  Policy & Procedures (formal & informal)  Clear responsibilities (re prevention)  Communication  Monitoring (incidents)  Training & supervision  Review  Access to “contact person”

Preventing Bullying  Anti- Bullying Policies & Procedures important & necessary.  Anti-Bullying Philosophy absolutely vital.

Inter-personal Behaviour  Performance issue  Professional standards  Potential for stress  Prevents bullying  Psychologically safe environment  Positively good for you