Workplace bullying is a serious health and safety hazard in Australian workplaces. Evidence suggests that bullying at work is largely a product of poor organisational practices and unhealthy work environments. However, common anti-bullying strategies (such as policies, education, reporting, and investigations) target bullying behaviour, leaving the root causes of that behaviour in the organisational system unaddressed.
Researchers from UniSA’s Centre for Workplace Excellence have developed an evidence-based risk audit tool and intervention program for the risk management of workplace bullying as a work health and safety hazard.
The Healthy Workplaces by Design program, in partnership with SA company Teamgage, enables organisations to proactively identify and reduce their risk factors for workplace bullying, delivering effective bullying prevention and aiding compliance with work health and safety legislation for psychosocial hazards.
By going through the program, which involves meaningful staff participation at each stage, an organisation can identify where the root causes of bullying lie in their organisational system and what the focal points for risk management efforts should be.
Guided by the risk audit tool, staff work together to build a healthier ways of working to support mental health and wellbeing and reduce psychosocial risk.
