Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying can have serious economic consequences for any business.

Researchers at Queensland's Griffith University put the annual cost of these incidents at between $6 billion and $13 billion per year. They can lead to poor morale, increased absenteeism and reduced productivity and can cause serious damage to a company's reputation that impacts on talent recruitment.

From January 1, 2014, the costs are likely to rise, with the introduction of new legislation that allows an individual to take a workplace bullying complaint directly to the Fair Work Commission.

If an employee is not happy about the way bullying is being dealt with by an employer, he or she can go directly to the commission. The new provisions mean that an employee could by-pass internal processes and go directly to the Fair Work Commission without consulting the organisation.

Building dignity at work

Psychology Melbourne's expert team of psychologists can provide management and staff with practical skills that create a culture that leads to dignity and respect throughout the workplace, protecting it from costly consequences and allowing employees and the entire organisation to flourish.

In many cases, body language and verbal styles inadvertently provoke complaints of bullying that can damage careers and companies.

We offer training sessions that help individuals understand the role of language at work, allowing them to identify behaviour and communication styles that could lead to complaints and also to distinguish between strong management and bullying and explore techniques that allow difficult conversations to take place in a safe way that avoids undesirable consequences.