Why We All Deserve Dignity At Work

We’ve all met a bully. Whether at school, work or in our personal lives, some of us will have been a victim or witnessed bullying behaviour.

This week (14-17 November) is National Anti-Bullying Week. While primarily aimed at raising awareness of bullying of children and young people, bullying affects people of all ages.

While we know it exists, Gavin Williamson’s resignation last week from the cabinet following allegations of bullying is a reminder of its prevalence and impact on victims.  And in Williamson’s case, the consequences for the perpetrator.

The complaint against Williamson comes from the then-chief whip, Wendy Morton, who received a series of expletive ridden texts from the former minister, which were first published by The Sunday Times. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for a precarious government, trying to steady the ship after a period of chaos and turmoil.

A number of the texts are his response to not being invited to the Queen’s funeral, accusing Ms Morton of “rigging” ticket allocations against MPs not “favoured” by then-prime minister Liz Truss, sinisterly adding “there is a price for everything”.

Following publication of the messages, a former colleague from the Ministry of Defence has also claimed Williamson told him to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window”, while the BBC has reported that several more Conservative MPs had been ready to make formal complaints about Williamson’s behaviour, had he not resigned.

There is no legal definition of bullying, but according to Acas, bullying can be characterised as unwanted behaviour that is “offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting” and “an abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone”.

Bullying isn’t against the law, but under the Equality Act of 2010, harassment is. This is when unwanted behaviour is related to protected characteristics such as age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.  Meanwhile, under The Human Rights Act of 1998, everyone has a fundamental right to dignity and respect and, of course, bullying directly violates this basic right.

The problem is not the perpetrator’s alone but their employer’s too. As well as the reputational fallout, as Rishi Sunak is experiencing from his minister’s behaviour and resignation, employers have a legal duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, including protection from harassment.

A 2018 TUC survey showed that 45 per cent of safety reps listed bullying and harassment in their top five workplace concerns and, such is the impact of bullying on staff morale, that many trade unions have launched ‘Dignity at Work’ campaigns to protect their members.

BECTU, the union that represents the creative industries, launched its Dignity at Work campaign as a response to the #METOO movement to call for the end of sexual harassment at work.

A survey of its members found that more than half of women and a quarter of men working in creative industries have witnessed bullying, harassment or unwanted behaviour on the grounds of sex.  A quarter have experienced or witnessed unwanted and/or inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing in the workplace, while 18% have experienced or witnessed the circulation of pornography while at work.

Many responsible employers have robust policies and guidance in place stating their commitment to promoting dignity and respect in the workplace and creating an environment that encourages diversity and differences. But policies have to be backed up by action, and we all have a responsibility to create and promote an environment where everyone feels safe. Not only does this mean treating everyone with respect but calling bullying behaviour out when we witness it.

At Freshwater, we have a culture of bringing your whole self to work, where colleagues from all backgrounds can feel safe to be themselves, and we have HR policies and training tools to support our zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment. Our focus is on creating an environment that is creative, motivating, encouraging and secure.

As well as being the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense. Nobody is at their best in an environment where they feel threatened, intimidated and miserable. It’s beyond me why Williamson thought his behaviour would get him the results he wanted. And ultimately, it’s cost him his job.

This year’s Reach Out campaign from the Anti Bullying Alliance in England and Wales makes the plea, “Together, let’s be the change we want to see. Reflect on our own behaviour, set positive examples and create kinder communities.”

This message comes too late for Williamson, but let’s hope not for the rest of us.

This article was written by our chief executive, Angharad Neagle, and featured in the Western Mail on 15 November 2022