Workplace Dignity Solutions believes that everyone has the right to live, work, study and play in an environment free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence. Yet the latest research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment reveals that almost 8% of those at work report that they have experienced bullying within the past 6 months. Other research states that one in seven adult suicides happen as a result of workplace bullying. The different types and contexts of bullying range from deliberately making someone’s job difficult to do to sending nasty messages via email or cyberbullying.The most common form is where a serial bully picks on one employee after another. All bullying obviously affects your concentration and ultimately productivity but it can also have serious implications for your psychological and physiological health and well-being. There are a series of informal and formal routes you can take if you are a victim of bullying in your workplace – the latter are provided for under various pieces of employment equality and health and safety legislation in Ireland. Employers have a duty of care towards employees, namely to prevent harassment and to ensure their health and safety in the workplace.
