29 March 2018
Late last year, Master Builders received a brief but angry email from the mother of a young apprentice carpenter who was experiencing difficulties at work.
The mother was clearly distraught and wanted to protect her son from what she termed ‘the vicious horror of workplace bullying’.
“I'm ashamed of the bullying my son has been exposed to as a hard-working, conscientious young man,” wrote the concerned mother.
Although rare, it’s still very disturbing to hear that this kind of behaviour occurs in our industry. Workers in the building and construction sector are entitled to the same fair and reasonable working conditions expected in other industries and occupations.
There are no excuses
Master Builders is totally opposed to bullying and harassment in the workplace. It’s unlawful and there is simply no excuse for it. Workplace bullying is unacceptable in any context – regardless of the industry, the business, the location or the personal views of workers. As such, our advice to the mother was that her son can seek remedies for the alleged bad treatment.
Often the defence in such a case will argue that the incident was taken out of context – relying on the proposition that intimidating or offensive language is just ‘part of the culture’. Its underpinning message is that people shouldn’t take offence as that behaviour is normal. This is just plain wrong, as it’s not normal to harass a person.
The building and construction industry needs the support of young men and women and their parents to stamp out this kind of behaviour.
How to prevent bullying in your workplace?
All employers and employees should be familiar with the policies and procedures designed to eliminate bullying at their workplace.
Master Builders HR Toolkit can help
As a member, you have an exclusive opportunity to purchase the affordable Master Builders HR Toolkit, which contains model policies and procedures on how to eliminate workplace bullying.
The toolkit also contains many other useful resources designed to help payroll staff, supervisors and managers navigate through the various stages of the HR and employment lifecycle.
When you purchase the HR Toolkit, you’ll receive 12 months of free document upgrades (from the date of purchase) in the event of legislative updates.
Get yours now from the eShop.
BULLYING IN THE WORKPLACE TRAINING COURSE
If you need advice about your specific situation, contact Master Builders’ Workplace Relations team on 1300 30 50 10.
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