We need to be aware that when we let people get away with abuse or victimisation of others, this reinforces their targeting of less powerful and vulnerable people. Bullying is not a one-off behaviour. It is a pattern established over time and if left unchecked is likely to deteriorate into even more severe harmful behaviour.
In the workplace, it is essential to establish clear values, standards, and requirements of behaviour that safeguard everyone comprehensively. The dominating behaviour of bullies to get what they want simply does not have a place in a diverse, inclusive environment where respect is a founding principle.
Under the spotlight
During workplace bullying training the organisation has the opportunity to reinforce all its principles, policies, rules, regulations, and practices related to what constitutes acceptance behaviour. These can all be expressed and clarified in a way that orients people positively in relation to what is ethically demanded by the business. However, in addition, workplace bullying training must leave no doubt that serious consequences will apply when individuals or groups fail to uphold their employment contracts in this regard.
Anti-harassment training online will complement this training by pointing to the repertoire of dysfunctional behaviours to watch out for and act against. The more consistent an organisation is at handling bullying behaviour, the greater the learning will be that such individuals need to exercise better restraint if they wish to be acceptable to others. Bullying can be a very durable problem if people are not taught very quickly when joining an organisation that zero tolerance is in place.
Workplace training for bullying will expose everyone to the psychological make-up of bullies which will make them easier to identify. We will also learn early on during anti-harassment training online that because of these anti-social components, in all probability, incidents of bullying and harassment are not isolated to us. Therefore, if we have confidence in organisational support and are able to speak up and confront unacceptable behaviour, often others will be encouraged to step forward too.
Being Heard
Training also has the added advantage of giving us the vocabulary to articulate accurately what we are dealing with in relation to bullies. When we have a clear insight into the bully’s make-up and tendencies, this will also assure us that it is okay to be assertive in repelling behaviour that we find distasteful in absolutely any way.
It is important to note that the more respect we have for ourselves, the easier it is for us to establish our boundaries and deal decisively with anyone who infringes our fundamental right to respect and dignity. Anti-harassment training online will reinforce at every turn that our psychological safety is just as important as our physical safety and we need to be prepared for any onslaught.
Bullies can be very adept at identifying those who are more vulnerable and as such, it is imperative that no one must fear giving voice to personal preference in relation to their dealings with others. No two people are the same when it comes to how they perceive others’ behaviour, and workplace bullying training makes it crystal clear that this is absolutely correct if we truly respect everyone. Organisations must, aligned to core principles of respect, ensure any form of pain or suffering inflicted by others is not abided at all.
Risky behaviour
Businesses that are serious about eradicating bullies from their midst will focus on workplace training for bullying as a priority, annually at a minimum, to ensure this is top of mind as people are inducted into the organisation. The deterrents must be compelling to ensure people who wish to bully and harass are clear that they will have no place to hide should they risk this behaviour.
Because bullying and harassment are generally very stable social interactional styles, the sooner we identify them and deal with them decisively, the less likely things are to spiral out of control and degenerate to grave harm. With this in mind, even the slightest bit of disrespect between people should be examined and questioned to ensure it does not escalate, given there is in fact no excuse for disrespecting others, ever.
An additional consideration in terms of zero-tolerance workplace policies is that bullies often thrive on having an audience if tacitly sanctioned. It is an organisation’s social responsibility not to be a party to the perpetuation of this sinister social ill. Workplace bullying training highlights this as well as imparting rigorous skills to deal authoritatively with bullying and harassment. When respect is paramount within the workplace, attitudes to the abuse of power and aggression will move towards their obliteration. Finally, what we will have achieved is the shift towards the positive power of greater reverence for all.