| SPOTLIGHT |
A zero tolerance culture to workplace harassment and violence is being promoted by employers, unions and the government with the launch of new guidance.
The guidance, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Violence – joint guidance implementing a European social partner agreement, follows a Europe-wide agreement between employers, organisations and unions to give practical help and support to firms and their employees.
For the first time, the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), the Partnership of Public Employers (PPE) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have joined forces to provide guidance on harassment and violence in the workplace.
The aim of the agreement is to raise awareness and increase understanding among employers, workers and their representatives of workplace harassment and both internal and third party violence. The agreement also seeks to provide employers, workers and their representatives with a framework of response to identify, prevent and manage problems.
The European agreement defines harassment as “unacceptable behaviour by one or more individuals that can take many different forms, some of which may be more easily identifiable than others.”
Repeated and deliberate abuse, threats and humiliation fall under the harassment umbrella. Violence occurs when one or more worker or manager is assaulted in circumstances relating to work. A manager, worker, service user or member of the public could be the perpetrators, with the offending action having the purpose or effect of violating the dignity, health and/or working environment of the manager or worker.
Employment Relations Minister Lord Young said the guidance is “another step in the right direction”. He added: “Workplace harassment and violence is unacceptable and the government is committed to addressing these problems.”
The CBI’s Director of Employment Policy, Katja Hall, stressed the zero-tolerance approach to workplace harassment and violence. "We hope this publication will give employers a useful guide to assessing the risks to their employees, and help them with the steps they could take to make sure employees are protected,” she said.
PPE Director Tina Weber strongly supports the launch of the guidance. 'We were particularly keen to include the issue of harassment and violence perpetrated by service users as this is regrettably becoming increasingly common. Public service workers deserve to be able to carry out their important functions free from the threat of – or indeed actual physical and verbal abuse,” she added.
TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady said unions are committed to working with employers to make sure that people at work are treated with respect. “No one wants to be harassed or attacked at work,” she said. “People who suffer violence or harassment deserve all our support.”
The report can be downloaded at http://www.workplaceharassment.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/HRE_100_Guidance_report.pdf
