Managing workplace bullying

The Fair Work Commission has the power to deal with complaints about workplace bullying. Orders made by the FWC must consider interim or final outcomes of any investigation into the complaint and other grievance/dispute resolution procedures available to the worker. 

Performance management and disciplinary action processes have come under increased scrutiny by the FWC, particularly to see if they fall within the "reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable manner" exception. 

Our Managing Workplace Bullying programs are designed to equip your managers and supervisors with the knowledge they need to deal with workplace bullying complaints. Our programs can be conducted over a full or half-day, depending on the learning outcomes you would like to achieve.

Recommended for: All staff with supervisory or management responsibilities, and their HR and legal advisors

Learning outcomes

At the end of our one-day Managing Workplace Bullying program, participants will understand

•  What constitutes "bullying" under the Fair Work Act and your organisation's internal policies and procedures
• The scope of the FWC's powers to deal with workplace bullying, including out-of-hours conduct
• The importance of perception in managing workplace bullying
• The roles and responsibilities of managers/supervisors, including confidentiality and reporting obligations 
• Your organisation's grievance procedure  
• Key considerations when investigating bullying complaints and where things can go wrong
• Guidelines on what constitutes "reasonable" performance management and disciplinary action "carried out in a reasonable manner" and where things can go wrong
• Options for what to do when bullying complaints are raised during ongoing investigations / performance / disciplinary processes and managing the risk of related claims
• Key messages to convey to all staff and ideas on how to do this; and 
• Areas to review in policies, procedures and contracts of employment.

We can also work with you in advance of any training to conduct a gap analysis and review your policies and procedures.

Why Ashurst?

Many of our lawyers are experienced trainers with expertise in developing and facilitating informative, practical and interactive training programs. Our lawyers are also clear, concise and engaging seminar presenters.

Organisations that have benefitted from our Client Tailored Workplace Learning options include the Australian Federal Police, Australian Taxation Office, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Bank Australia, BOC, David Jones and Country Road Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ipoh, Mitsui, Monash University, Morgan Stanley, Newcrest Mining Limited, Qantas Airways Limited, University of Queensland, Westpac, and Woolworths.