Managing bullying, harassment and violence at work (from members of the team and from patients) is a major challenge. A speedy response is essential but having an established protocol for how to respond and the options available will enable you to recognise and deal with issues appropriately.
Legislation gives you clear guidelines and allows you to be clear on behaviour that will not be tolerated. The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination and victimisation on the grounds of a protected characteristic and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 made it an offence to act in a way that results in the harassment of an individual (on at least two occasions). This advice describes how these impact on identifying and managing bullying, harassment and violence issues in the practice.
Other advice that should be read alongside this include: Equality and diversity in the workplace, Grievances at work, Disciplinary procedures and dismissal and Complaints handling
Key learning objectives
This advice summarises your responsibility to identify and dealing with bullying, harassment and violence incidents at work. It helps you to:
- Recognise bullying and harassment and how it might present at work
- Understand your responsibilities under employment law and providing a safe workplace
- Deal with bullying and harassment through practice policies, training and effective management of incidents involving staff and patients
- Provide support when needed
- Consider safety when providing out-of-hours care.
