Anti-Bullying Week 2023

Author

Christina James
November 14, 2023

Anti-Bullying Week 2023:

Make A Noise About Bullying

Anti-Bullying Week 2023 is coordinated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the Anti-Bullying Alliance. This year it has the theme 'Make A Noise About Bullying' and will take place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November. The week will be kicked off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 13th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique.

The theme of Make A Noise About Bullying came about following consultation with teachers and pupils by the Anti-Bullying Alliance which coordinates Anti-Bullying Week every year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Teachers and children wanted a theme that empowered them to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.

Following the success of the campaign in 2022 – when 80% of schools marked the week, reaching over 7.5 million children and young people – Anti-Bullying Week will remind everyone whether it’s in school, at home, in the community or online, we can bring an end to bullying.

Bullying at Work

Although there is no legal definition of bullying, it can be described as unwanted behaviour from a person or group that is either:

  • offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting

  • an abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone

Bullying might:

  • be a regular pattern of behaviour or a one-off incident

  • happen face-to-face, on social media, in emails or calls

  • happen at work or in other work-related situations

  • not always be obvious or noticed by others

It's possible someone might not know their behaviour is bullying. It can still be bullying even if they do not realise it or do not intend to bully someone.

Examples of bullying

Examples of bullying at work could include:

  • constantly criticising someone's work

  • spreading malicious rumours about someone

  • constantly putting someone down in meetings

  • deliberately giving someone a heavier workload than everyone else

  • excluding someone from team social events

  • putting humiliating, offensive or threatening comments or photos on social media

Upward bullying

Bullying can also happen from staff towards someone more senior, for example a manager. This is sometimes called 'upward bullying' or 'subordinate bullying'.

It can be from one employee or a group of employees.

Examples of upward bullying can include:

  • showing continued disrespect

  • refusing to complete tasks

  • spreading rumours

  • constantly undermining someone's authority

  • doing things to make someone seem unskilled or unable to do their job properly

It can be difficult for someone in a senior role to realise they're experiencing bullying behaviour from their staff.

It's important to consider the real reasons for the behaviour. For example, there might be a wider issue with the culture of the organisation that can be identified and addressed.

Employer responsibilities

Employers and employees have a mutual duty to treat each other honestly and with respect.

This means employees have the right to:

  • have trust and confidence in their employer

  • expect not to be bullied at work

Employers have the right to:

  • expect employees not to bully each other

  • expect employees to treat their managers with respect and follow all reasonable instructions

Employers also have a legal duty of care to protect their employees from harm. This includes dealing with bullying issues.

Employers should:

  • do all they can to try to prevent bullying happening

  • take any bullying complaint seriously and look into it as soon as possible

For further information please click the link to ACAS 

Workplace bullying can contribute to increased stress, low self-esteem, and feelings of anxiety and depression.

For further inquiries, company group training or mental health consultancy please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]