Bullying in Australian Workplace Rife - Including NFPs
14 July 2011 at 2:55 pm
A new survey claims intimidation and harassment are rife in Australian workplaces and Not for Profit organisations are not immune.
A survey conducted by Essential Research for JobWatch, a Not for Profit employment rights community legal service based in Victoria, found that 46 Per cent of part-time workers were either aware of bullying and harassment in the workplace, or had been bullied and harassed themselves.
JobWatch Executive Director Zana Bytheway says the poll results show that workplace bullying and harassment are a significant national problem with one in five workers reporting personal experience of bullying in the workplace.
Bytheway says workplace harassment can cause enormous stress and hardship, especially for people who feel powerless to fight back and workers in the Not for Profit sector certainly come under this category where they are under enormous stress and strain and are usually under resourced and run ‘off the smell of an oily rag’.
Bytheway says that while people reported experiences of bullying and harassment across the board, it was more prevalent for part-time workers and among women.
She says almost one quarter of part-time workers and one-quarter of women polled had personally experienced intimidation, bullying or harassment from a colleague or boss in the past few years.
The survey found that:
- 37% of respondents say they have experienced or are aware of intimidation, bullying or harassment in the workplace.
- 19% say they have personally experienced intimidation, bullying or harassment.
- Those most likely to have personally experienced intimidation, bullying or harassment were part time workers (23%), women (23%) and those aged 35-?54.
1,037 people participated in the national poll, which conducted between 29 June and 3 July 2011, by Essential Research.
JobWatch provides assistance to disadvantaged workers and is also under stress following a 60 per cent funding cut from the Victorian State Government.
Bytheway says Federal Government funding was being sought to ensure JobWatch could survive into the future and help protect the workplace rights of disadvantaged and low income Australians.
To find out more about JobWatch go to www.jobwatch.org.au
