In The HR Director, Mary Walker discusses how to manage conflict and bullying in the workplace
Tuesday 1st October 2024
Mary Walker, partner and employment law expert, features in the latest issue of leading HR industry magazine, The HR Director.
Mary explores how employers can manage workplace conflict and bullying. According to The HR Director’s LinkedIn poll, 59 per cent of respondents felt that their organisation does not effectively handle conflict and bullying.
There are core legal provisions surrounding conflict and bullying, including the protected characteristics in the Equality Act which can serve as the foundation for employee training.
When examining training around conflict and bullying, Mary discusses the abilities of line managers to handle these scenarios. During the recruitment and promotion process, employers may wish to consider whether line managers’ skill sets are suited to handling such situations.
Mary highlights how leadership principles can be embedded into line managers’ mindsets, including keeping a watch for signs of conflict, alongside effective communication skills.
Mary believes this preventative approach can be more effective than a standalone policy which runs the risk of being interpreted that an organisation has, or has had, a bullying and conflict problem.
You can download the September 2024 issue of The HR Director and read Mary’s full article on page 36 here.
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