TUC recommendations

The TUC says that any policy should be jointly agreed and should cover:

• recognition of the seriousness of the issue, its detrimental effects and the need to develop a working culture of dignity and respect;

• a statement that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action;

• recognition that allegations of bullying and harassment place the victim and the alleged bully under considerable stress and that complaints must be investigated sensitively and as quickly as possible to resolve the situation;

• a statement that a false or mischievous allegation can lead to disciplinary action;

• procedures that emphasise the need to protect complainants from further stress, improve working relationships and resolve complaints as near to their source as possible;

• provision for investigation, including information on morale, management style, sickness levels, turnover, changes in behaviour and so on, as well as direct information from the complainant, the alleged bully and any witnesses;

• emphasis on the need to take proper records at all stages and to make sure they are kept confidential, accurate and secure;

• access to counselling and support for those affected, including those accused of bullying;

• training for workers designed to prevent bullying and harassment and training for managers and supervisors in dealing with complaints;

• monitoring of formal and informal complaints by department or work unit, and monitoring of the effectiveness of training, counselling and the procedure in general; and

• regular review of the policy in the light of the monitoring.

Records will be “personal data” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that the employer must comply with the requirements of the Employment Practices Code which can be accessed from the Information Commissioner’s website. In particular they must be accurate, confidential and secure, and should contain only relevant information. Members should have the opportunity to correct inaccurancies. For more information, see the LRD booklet Social media, monitoring and surveillance at work www.lrdpublications.org.uk/publications.php?pub=BK&iss=1604