The University of Bristol places strategic importance on being a great place to work. Since 2003 it has been committed to creating a ‘positive working environment’ (PWE) where working life is ‘productive, rewarding, enjoyable & healthy’ for all staff.
This central initiative began in 2003 with an organisation-wide staff survey which was repeated in 2007. The 2007 results were encouraging with significant improvements in the vast majority of areas. However, one area had seen no improvement and caused great concern for senior leaders, HR and all those working on the PWE agenda: experiences of bullying and harassment had not changed.
Having worked with Kate Tapper for many years, the HR Directors appointed Bud to work with them to effect genuine change in working relationships between staff.
The conventional approach
The problem: Reported incidences of bullying and harassment
The conventional solution: An anti-bullying campaign, communications to all staff, a roadshow, leadership and management training, training for all staff, performance management measures, a new policy, support for victims, zero-tolerance disciplinary procedures for bullies.
The conventional result: Lots of blaming and finger pointing, lots of defensive reactions and disengagement. Considerable expense and effort preaching to the converted. Those feeling bullied see a lot of commotion but no change in their immediate situation. The ‘bullies’ don’t see themselves as bullies so don’t see how it’s anything to do with them and they haven’t got time for training. Everyone feels like they are back at school.
Our approach
The problem: In such a large organisation there is no single work culture with accepted ways of treating each other. Instead there are lots of sub-cultures with a variety of work practices. Some sub cultures have working norms that tolerate, even reward, aggressive, demanding behaviours that prioritise task at the expense of people. These sub-cultures are self-reinforcing so that people either ‘sink or swim’. Those that are bullied leave, those that stay learn its ‘survival of the fittest’ and perpetuate the culture. The academic environment tends to dismiss emotional and social needs as secondary to intellectual achievement.
Our solution: The thing with bullying and harassment is that it’s personal, subjective and the result of individual relationships. An organisation like the University of Bristol has made an unequivocal statement about how it expects people to be treated. The PWE agenda is led from the top, Equality and Diversity policies abound, superb volunteers provide excellent peer support, and leadership and management development is prioritised.
But what actually happens when people experience real difficulties in their working relationships and feel that they are being bullied or harrassed? To date they could access support from volunteer advisors, or make a formal complaint. There has been nothing in between. This has frustrated many people, including HR professionals that see recurring problems in some areas.
We supported UoB to develop a new process to deal with bullying and harrassement complaints outside the formal greivance routes. We facilitated sessions with key people; mediators, counsellors, volunteers, union representatives and HR professionals to find out what was needed and what would work. We facilitated subsequent sessions with the HR leads on this project to help them map their thinking and develop a new process.
The new process allows any complaint to be investigated by neutral members of staff. We conducted training needs analysis with these staff to find out what they need to carry out this crucial role. Next we will deliver training to fully equip them for the role so that the new process can be implemented.
If you would like to know more about this, we are happy to speak to you or put you in touch with people at the University of Bristol. Call Kate on 07908 408 959 for more information.
If you are thinking about a staff survey, we have teamed up with research experts at UoB so that your organisation can benefit from a tried and tested approach to staff engagement. Contact us for more information.