Workplace Bullying


Many people think of bullying as persecuting or ganging up on individuals. Most bullying is not so obvious.

Bossing people around, intimidating, threatening or keeping them under pressure is also bullying.


This is the most common form of bullying in Australian workplaces, and is a risk to people¡¦s mental health and safety.

SIGNS OF BULLYING
Workplace bullying is a serious health and safety hazard. It is usually characterised by:

„X Unreasonable demands and impossible targets
„X Restrictive and petty work rules
„X Being required to perform tasks without adequate training
„X Being forced to stay back to finish work or additional tasks
„X Compulsory overtime, unfair rostering or allocation of work
„X Constant, intrusive surveillance or monitoring
„X No say in how your job is done
„X Interference with personal belongings or sabotage of work
„X Shouting, or using abusive language
„X Open or implied threat of the sack, or demotion
„X Oppressive, unhappy work environment
„X People afraid to speak up about conditions, behaviours or health and safety

WHO¡¦S DOING THE BULLYING?

Bullying can happen between any co-workers, or by clients (horizontal relationship), customers, contractors or others from outside the workplace.

More often though, bullying is done by employers and managers in positions in authority who are over- worked and over- stressed (vertical relationship).

EFFECTS OF BULLYING

Bullying causes a range of symptoms including:
„X Headaches
„X Sleep difficulties
„X Skin rashes
„X Loss of confidence
„X Tearfulness
„X Difficulty concentrating
„X Gastrointestinal problems
„X Nausea

Other serious effects of bullying are:
„X Anxiety and depression
„X Suicidal thoughts
„X Heart disease
„X Stress-related illness

BULLYING IS A GROWING PROBLEM

The World Health Organization found that people experiencing anxiety or depression find it more difficult to manage daily tasks like work, shopping, exercise and hobbies, than people suffering with physical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and back pain.

Changes at work, brought about by deregulation, privatisation, restructuring, downsizing and technological change, have contributed to an erosion of working conditions for many Australians. Casual employment and job insecurity create a climate where people are increasingly powerless and at risk of being bullied.

The push for ever-higher productivity in an increasingly competitive environment can result in bullying tactics being used to drive workers to the limit. Workers get the blame for poor performance or low productivity, no matter how well they do their jobs.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Everyone has the right to dignity and respect, and to a safe and healthy environment at work. If bullying is happening in your workplace, there are ways to deal with it.

„X Get the issues out in the open by talking with fellow workers.
„X Hold a meeting, away from the workplace if necessary.
„X Get the workplace health and safety representative, Occupational Health and Safety committee or other delegates to take up the issue.
„X Contact your union for assistance.

Under occupational health and safety legislation, employers have a legal duty to control all health and safety hazards in the workplace. This includes organisational structures and behaviours which may lead to bullying.

Employers have to consult with their employees about policies and procedures to eliminate all hazards and risks from the workplace. There is no excuse for causing or allowing bullying.

If an employer will not act on these issues, health and safety representatives can issues provisional improvement notices. These are official notices to an employer that a health and safety issue exists and needs to be fixed.

WHERE TO GET HELP?
„X For more information or advice on your situation, contact your union or the ACTU Helpline on 1300 362 223.
„X Your local GP
„X Psychologist (contact the Australian Psychological Society on 1800 333 497)
„X Mental Health Information Service for more information and services in your area on 02 9816 5688 (Sydney) or 1800 674 200 (Country NSW).

Source
Being bossed around is bad for your health. Australian Council of Trade Unions

Disclaimer
The information provided is to be used for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for seeking professional care in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. Information may be reproduced with an acknowledgement to the Mental Health Association NSW. This, and other fact sheets are available for download from www.mentalhealth.asn.au. This fact sheet was last updated in Spring, 2001

Back-to-Directory BACK TO “Your Health Online”
the A to Z directory of dealing with Health Problems & Self Care Strategies for natural remedies to your health issues.

==========

Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance.

It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.
The nutrition products I am going to recommend you make use of knowledge gained from the botanical world's 6,000 year history. They incorporated health building nutritional herbs with the best modern technology to help our bodies cleanse and detoxify so that the cells - the tiniest living units - can be as fully nourished as possible.
This allows the cells to grow, repair and to perform their functions with the best possible efficiency so that we feel and look better and are more able to prevent and fight disease. Once the body begins to clear itself of toxins it can more efficiently absorb nutrition.

Further reading through our articles on health issues will give you a body of information that will help you decide what options you have to deal with the underlying causes of your problem through giving your body the nutrition products that will assist you body to heal from the inside out.



You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system.

We wish you well in your search for solutions to this problem and your movement towards better health in all areas.



Health-Care-Careers

Back to Top of your health online page
Subscribe to “Your Health Success” newsletter
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy |Disclaimer | Free Health Book


Contact-Site-Webmaster


Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Submit *YOUR* health story.

Back-to-Directory BACK TO “Your Health Online”
the A to Z directory of dealing with Health Problems & Self Care Strategies for natural remedies to your health issues.

Subscribe to get your weekly "Health Success Magazine" with a new complete & comprehensive Health Report in every edition!


to “Your Health Success”
our weekly F’R’E’E’ Newsletter

If you would like a free no-obligation private consultation or to contact Warren Tattersall for more information, please click here >> Contact Us

We wish you well in your search for healthy diet solutions and your movement towards better health in all areas.
Click the books above to learn more about how we treat CFS naturally, to get your life back!

You will find many assorted Health Reports available for download free to you on this website!

Our free Health Success Reports are each available for you to download when you subscribe to receive them and their 7 part eCourse.

You can unsubscribe at any time, but we are sure you will want to receive all the email lessons of these informative ecourses.

Read more HERE to select the REPORT subjects of most interest (or concern) to you.