New weapon to fight the bullies
NINE out of ten journalists are affected by bullying in the workplace, an NUJ website survey found.
Of members who took part, 74 per cent said they had been the victims of bullying and another 18 per cent had seen it going on.
The snap poll was conducted as the union published a new handbook, Stop Bullying, designed to help members being bullied in the workplace and to give advice to reps dealing with the problem.
The advice includes strategies to counter a bullying culture that has taken root in an office.
NUJ Equality Officer Lena Calvert, who produced the booklet, said: “Workplace bullying is unhealthy for the organisation which allows it to happen. It is demoralising for those who witness it and devastating to those who experience it. This handbook should help those who are being bullied to find ways of tackling it and to reassure them that they are not alone.”
There is a model “dignity at work” agreement, covering bullying and the treatment of staff, for reps to negotiate in workplace agreements.
The booklet can be downloaded at www.nuj.org.uk, or ordered in print from Lena Calvert by emailing lenac@nuj.org.uk