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The Three Main Elements Of Bullying In The Workplace

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Unfortunately there is not only bullying in schools, there is bullying in the workplace as well. These are unacceptable behaviors that arise within a workplace situation. Bullying the workplace can take many forms and it’s not easy to always identify. The Fair Work Act 2009 made recent amendments that came into effect in January 2014 to define workplace bullying as occurring when an individual; group of individuals; repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards the worker, group of workers of which the worker is a member; and the behavior creates a risk to health and safety (Le Mire & Owens, 2014). This definition focuses on three main elements of bullying behavior, it is repeated, unreasonable, and creates a risk to health and safety. All three elements must be satisfied in order for bullying at the workplace to be found. Bullying behaviors could be things that are victimizing, humiliating, intimidating or threatening, but it is not limited to just those behaviors.
In order to establish if these behaviors are a risk to health and safety, a real possibility of danger needs to be identified. Bullying behavior can be of a wide range of actions and it is not limited to verbal or physical abuse, but can extend to gestures, tone of voice, and other acts of signs of exclusion or isolation (Le Mire & Owens, 2014). Some actions can consist of spreading rude and/or inaccurate information, or conducting an investigation into a bullying complaint in an unfair or inappropriate way.
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