Small firms around the country are being urged to control workplace bullying, as recent findings have shown that an outrageous 9 out of 10 employees of small businesses feel that they are victims, and this treatment has been touted to get worse through the ongoing difficulties of the economic downturn.

10,000 people were surveyed by the Andrea Adams charity, which focuses on difficulties in the work place, and 92 per cent of those questioned felt they were on the business end (forgive the pun) of unfair and threatening actions in their place of work.

The survey also discovered that 56 per cent of those questioned felt that bullying was a considerable dilemma to work with and a surprising half of those questioned admitted to being a victim of bullying from their bosses.

These findings have been reinforced by another poll conducted by the CMI (Chartered Management Institute) who clearly feels that employees are not doing enough to fight this problem.  Bullying and teasing is more of a problem than many small businesses care to consider and the offset of this problem is that there is a considerable loss of productivity and a rise in poor performance.  In extreme cases employees have taken employers to employment tribunals where vast amounts of compensation are paid out.

Chief executive of the Andrea Adams Trust, Lyn Witheridge, says, “The economic downturn puts workers under greater strain than ever before. Everyone seems to be fighting for their jobs.

“There is a very danger that incidences of bullying in the workplace will hugely increase because of this.”

Employers are being urged to frame a formal policy on bullying to guarantee that employees are aware of what constitutes an act of bullying.  Businesses should also have policies in place outlining procedures for dealing with such acts and the employees should be made aware of a specific person they can contact in the business if they are experiencing problems of this nature.

Jo Causon, from the Chartered Management Institute, says that due to the current economic slump, the requirement to achieve high standards at work “should not be seen as an excuse to bully.”  She goes on to state that the answer to quashing the problem is “strong and fair leadership” which will promote motivation and therefore productivity throughout the workplace.

It is important to set good examples as the employer without being too strict.  Communication is an extremely important tool within a workplace and consultation with employees is a must, as often as possible.  By giving employees a safe ‘harbour’, the business will benefit in every area.  Although it seems difficult to give precedence to this issue, in the midst of financial difficulties and dismal future months, this problem, if tackled correctly, will be a step in the right direction for any small business and could effectively save your business in the long term.  The importance of this issue must be picked up by managers of small businesses as ignoring this problem could be the last nail in the coffin for more than a few businesses around the country.

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