John Christie, Solicitor, Kiely Thompson Caisley, a specialist employment law firm.

18th July 2011

Workplace bullying can manifest in various forms but generally harassing behaviours are classified as either over or covert.  Examples of overt bullying might include unjustifiable criticism (destructive rather than constructive), trivial fault-finding or nitpicking, openly belittling or undermining a worker in front of colleagues, inappropriate personal remarks and/or even attempts to coerce a worker to resign.

Covert bullying may take the form of subjecting an employee to unjustified micro-management, improperly taking credit for their work, giving the “silent treatment” or making subtle threats.  A report by Drake International of 800 employers found that isolation, verbal insults and sarcasm were the most common manifestations of workplace bullying in Australia.

In the case of Kneebone v Schizophrenia Fellowship Waikato ERA AA31/07, 13 February 2007, the Employment Relations Authority acknowledged that while bullying may take diverse forms, to be classified as such there is a general requirement that it include: repeated action; carried out with the desire to gain power or exert dominance; [and] carried out with the intention to cause fear and distress.

By Abi O’Neill, experienced management and leadership development consultant and coach. Posted 23 May 2011.

 A recent report from the BlessingWhite international “Employee Engagement Report 2011” emphasizes the core message that “engagement starts with leaders – with you”. They surveyed nearly 11,000 people from all around the world. They found that employees who trust their managers are more likely to be engaged. It was found that in Australia and New Zealand more than anywhere else in the world, employees who know their manager well “as a person” are more likely to be engaged.

All too often the people who are successful in their jobs are promoted to leadership without the support that they need. Mostly they are unaware of the implications of managing people and merely see it as “let’s get the job done”. The significant missing consideration is the “people” part. They typically understand the task-related aspect of the work, yet it is human element that really counts in leadership. That is the premise of my book, “Manager to Leader”. New managers in particular are inclined to overlook the human factor but unfortunately it is not only new managers or executives who overlook this vital aspect.

Relationships are a crucial feature in the success of a manager and leader. The findings from the study emphasize the value and importance of building effective relationships in the workplace. If the manager/leader’s preference is to work alone and not connect with people then it will likely be a barrier to having productive relationships. In certain fields there may be exceptions eg in areas of science, research and (possibly) engineering, where both manager and direct reports are able to work autonomously as their specific expertise may enable them to be independent.

Successful leaders must, however, build trust and influence by connecting and develop a rapport with their people. The degree of trust and rapport we have with people the more engaged they are likely to be. Easy said, but for some, not so easily done.