Bullying crackdown launched – but when does a tough boss become a bully?

The Victorian Government has launched a crackdown on bullying following the heavy fines handed down to four men for bullying a co-worker who committed suicide, with 40,000 snap bullying inspections to be carried out.

Victorian Premier John Brumby launched the new “Respect at Work” campaign yesterday after a Melbourne case was fined $220,000 earlier for allowing the bullying of a 15-year-old staff member, who later committed suicide.

“Like most parents, I found the case of Brodie Panlock very distressing,” Brumby said yesterday. “Workplace bullying is a cowardly, low act.”

Special teams of investigators will visit 40,000 workplaces to conduct snap inspections, interview employees and educate business owners about anti-bullying policies.

While legal experts say the case sends a strong warning to companies to ensure they have proper policies and procedures in place, many entrepreneurs and managers who are eager to do the right thing will no doubt be asking – when does a manager who is tough with their staff step over the line and become a bully?

SmartComapny blogger Eve Ash, who is the founder of training, communication and leadership consultancy firm Seven Dimensions, says it can be a difficult issue to address, particularly when staff are underperforming and may use bullying accusations as a defence mechanism.

She says it is important to look at the pattern of the manger’s behaviour.

“You’ve got to look at whether a tough boss is tough on a particular person, or are they tough across the board.”

“Bullying is repeated behaviour that makes people feel bad and often strays from the professional to the personal.”

The key to ensuring tough managers don’t stray into bullying territory is to ensure that there are formal, well-defined feedback processes where legitimate concerns about a staff members’ performance can be addressed properly

“If feedback is given in a professional way, in regards to standards that have agreed upon, then it is reasonable for a manager to take a staff member to task. “

Ash provides the following quick guide to diagnosing bullying behaviour:

• Regular put downs to one or more members of the team.
• Harsh indifference and lack of care – eg. amused when someone is upset.
• Taunts and teases, even when asked not to.
• Belittles someone at work in public.
• Unfairly and repeatedly reprimands.
• Often yells at someone for no apparent reason.