Unwanted conduct is no laughing matter

Every year, the Anti-Bullying week is held in Belgium and the Netherlands: The focus will once again be firmly on the theme of ‘bullying’ and other forms of unwanted conduct. Pulso is the founder and long-time member of the ‘Kies kleur tegen pesten’ (Take a stand against bullying) network in Belgium. These associations aim to help prevent and reduce bullying among children and youth. After all, many children suffer from the effects of bullying, even in adulthood.

Bullying and other unwanted conduct is, however, not exclusively a problem among children and adolescents. It also occurs in the workplace and, indeed, wherever people interact. It is often the result of escalating conflicts, but also ‘primary bullying’ or innocent teasing may evolve into bullying.

What constitutes bullying? What are the consequences? And what can we do about it?

Someone can experience unwanted conduct or feel bullied, even in your workplace. It can occur in any organisation, at any level, between colleagues, between employees and managers, and also with external parties.

A Royal Decree on bullying, violence and sexual harassment has been in place since 2002 in Belgium, and internal procedures have been incorporated to handle such situations. In 2017, these were subsequently incorporated into a Code on Well-Being at Work.

The legislation is also clear in the Netherlands: under the Working Conditions Act (Arbowet), employers are obliged to pursue a policy aimed at preventing or limiting this form of work stress. The Dutch Civil Code also implicitly protects the employee against bullying.

No bad thing considering the impact that bullying in the workplace can have on people.

Indeed research (Samnani & Singh, 2012*) suggests that victims experience more mental health problems - such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress - than employees who are not bullied. And this typically has an impact on the overall working atmosphere and collegiality. Finally, employers also lose out. People who are bullied are less engaged, less productive, more frequently sick, experience more (work-related) accidents and are more likely to leave the company.

Unwanted conduct in the workplace is defined by law as violence (psychological or physical), bullying and sexual harassment.

Bullying in the workplace is described as the unlawful sum of multiple behaviours, within or outside the organisation, over a specific period of time. Sexual harassment in the workplace is described as any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct with a sexual connotation. Bullying and sexual harassment have the purpose or effect of:

• Undermining the personality, dignity or psychological integrity of a person during work
• Compromising their position
• Creating a threatening, hostile, offensive, humiliating or hurtful environment

If you find someone else's behavior unpleasant, first consider it. What is happening? How do I deal with this?

If you ignore it or push it away, the problem will not be solved and you may endure other signs of stress.

Make it clear that the behaviour has gone too far. People are sometimes unaware that their conduct is undesirable. Their intentions might not be bad; they may simply have no idea how this is affecting you. A few tips:

• Communicate using the first person
• Make the behaviour concrete
• State the consequences and/or your needs
• Formulate an expectation of the desired conduct

Recognise the first signs of bullying. You can consequently stop the bullying at an early stage. Bullying can be recognised by:

• Physical signs: abdominal pain, headache or nausea
• Psychological signs: stress, worrying, lack of concentration, anxiety and feelings of inferiority

• Relational signs: distrust, loss of spontaneity in interacting with others, deterioration of family life and relationship
• Work: less productive, staying at home and losing benefits

Intention

Don’t keep things to yourself. Report bullying to your colleague, manager, counsellor, prevention adviser for psychosocial issues or other (internal) contact point, and talk about it.

Responsibilities

Unwanted conduct in the workplace falls under psychosocial risks in the workplace. Employers must adopt measures to prevent such risks and mitigate their adverse effects.

You also bear a personal responsibility as a colleague. Be alert to the signs such as gossip, offensive remarks and inappropriate comments. Make it clear that you don’t wish to join in and take action to help your colleague. Always do so in consultation with your colleague.