More than two million people are bullied at work in the UK.

Some of them may not even realise they are being bullied, dismissing it as "just part of the job".

But workplace bullying is a major cause of stress-related illness and costs almost 19 million working days a year.

The Hove-based Andrea Adams Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to tackling workplace bullying.

Its motto is "action not ignorance" and in accordance with this, the charity has organised National Ban Bullying At Work Day to highlight both the extent of the problem and their work to combat it.

The message is simple, there's no workplace for bullying.

Lyn Witheridge, founder and chief executive of the trust, said: "In order to solve a problem, you have to be able to recognise it and in order to recognise it you must be able to give it its proper name.

"Unlike other occupational hazards, as yet, there is no legal definition of workplace bullying and the term is made harder to define because it is dependent upon individual perceptions.

"Many people notice bullying in the workplace but fail to give it its proper name.

"Employees do not complain for fear of further victimisation or of being labelled a troublemaker, yet what sort of workplace can condone a form of behaviour which engenders fear in their employees?

"Where symptoms of organisational and sociological ill health are in evidence, surely intervention is required, not to identify and attack, but to think to better understand what is happening in our workplaces and more importantly why it is happening.

"Recognition and awareness of bullying at work is therefore essential if it is to be legitimately challenged."

Bullying at work can take many forms and has negative side effects for both the individual and the employer.

Ms Witheridge said: "Despite this, bullying remains a taboo subject for many organisations and employees are not equipped with the knowledge to address the problem head on.

"Bullying is not only unpleasant and negative, it is also very bad for business.

She said: "Studies indicate one in four people are currently being bullied at work. It has become a major cause of workplace stress, causing 18.9 million days to be lost to industry every year and costing individual companies between eight to ten per cent of their annual profits on top of the threat of costly litigation.

"Put simply, workplace bullying is too costly to ignore any longer and should be on every employer's agenda. Ignorance is no longer an excuse."

Ms Witheridge said that until recently bullying at work had been a silent disease. But with public attention growing around this insidious behaviour in our workplaces, silence will not be accepted as a response any longer.

"A lack of recognition and acceptance of this very basic human behaviour is the cause of much corporate dysfunction resulting in costly damage to both individuals and organisations.

"It makes sense to recognise that bullying is an issue you need to address. Coming to grips with the problem from all sides is about awareness, recognition and training."

Ban Bullying At Work Day will be launched at the Thistle Hotel, Charing Cross, London, on November 7, with speakers from the British Occupational Health Research Foundation, the Trades Union Congress, the Department of Health, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Health and Safety Executive and the Chartered Management Institute.

On Wednesday, a reception at the House of Lords will launch the next stage of the £1.9 million Dignity At Work Project, for which the Andrea Adams Trust is the technical partner.

Speakers will include Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Derek Simpson, general secretary of Amicus, John McCarthy and Baroness Anne Gibson of Market Rasen.

And on November 1, the trust will announce the results of research work on bullying in the workplace undertaken with Personnel Today.

The ban bullying day is timed to coincide with the birthday of Andrea Adams, the journalist who founded the charity.

As well as distributing posters and activity packs, the trust is offering to help organisations run a variety of interactive events to take place on the day, so that employees can identify and take responsibility for resolving bullying at work.

Businesses can find guidance and resources online regarding how to join the campaign and deal with workplace bullying at www.banbullyingatwork.com For more information, visit www.andreaadamstrust.org
Monday, October 24, 2005