The voluntary sector

In June 2018, a survey by general union Unite of 622 members working for the animal charity RSPCA showed that almost one in three (29%) of staff members said they had been bullied in the previous year, and more than a third (37%) said they had witnessed bullying over the same period. According to a report by Third Sector (a publication covering developments in charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises) almost half of staff (46%) saw bullying as a serious or very serious problem, with senior managers the most likely source (38%). The biggest reasons for bullying were cited as poor managers, staff shortages, excessive workloads, stressed managers and the workplace culture.

The confidential survey also found that almost a third (30.5%) of staff felt bullying was tolerated and part of the culture, with more than half (54%) saying they had little or no confidence the charity would deal fairly with a bullying or harassment complaint.

In October 2018, Unite welcomed a commitment from the charity’s new chief executive, Chris Sherwood, to tackle the culture of bullying and harassment, which the union said was “deeply ingrained in the RSPCA’s culture”.