What should my employer be doing?

Employers have a clear legal duty to tackle workplace bullying, harassment and intimidation, whether by supervisors, managers, fellow workers, or the public. Official guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires employers to:

• Operate an effective anti-bullying procedure, or, failing that, a grievance procedure that includes how to deal with complaints of bullying (see Stress at work, HSE).
• Treat bullying in the same way as any other hazard at work, such as using dangerous equipment, or working alone. This means using the HSE's standard five steps to a risk assessment – identifying where bullying is taking place, who is affected, and how, take steps to stop it, and keep the issue under review.