Bullying at Work - Solicitors Compensation Claim
Bullying at work is now recognised as a major problem both from the point of view of the employers and the bullied employees affected. A bully can have a significant effect on the physical and mental health of the workforce and in many circumstances; the effect of bullying at work can remain with the victim for a substantial period of time. However, in addition to the effects on individual workers, it can have a serious impact on the efficiency of organisations where it is estimated that 40 million working days are lost at a serious cost to employers and victims are highly likely to suffer stress related illnesses, which in turn will lead to significant levels of absence from the workplace, hence affecting the productivity of businesses. It can also have a serious effect on the moral of the workforce and if employers fail to deal with the problems caused by a bully, then the culture of their organisation will also suffer. Employees who are the victims of this type of behaviour often instinct a bullying at work solicitor which may result in considerable expenditure by the employer in taking legal advice and subsequently paying out unlimited damages awards.
Work Bully Definition
Bullying at work can take many forms, but can be defined as 'persistent, offensive, intimidating, malicious, insulting or humiliating behaviour, abusive power or authority which attempts to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure an individual or group of employees, which may cause them to suffer stress'. The remedy for counteracting the work of a bully is to instruct a bullying at work solicitor to make an application to the employment Tribunal for compensation. If you have suffered, you should urgently contact a specialist employment solicitor for advice on workplace bullying compensation claims.
Examples of bully behaviour in the workplace can include:-
- ridiculing or demeaning somebody
- ignoring views and opinions
- shouting at or humiliating employees in front of others.
- deliberately undermining an employee by constant criticism.
- spreading malicious rumours or insulting an employee by word or deed.
- exclusion or victimisation
Bullying Legislation
As things stand at present, there is no specific legislation in the UK that a bullying at work solicitor can rely on which provides rights to employees who are being or have been bullied at work. This does not mean that they have no legal protection against a bully, but it does mean that they will have to look to other employment law related legislation and/or common law principles, if they wish to seek redress.
Bully Tactics
Bullying is mainly persistent, unwanted and unwelcome behaviour which is not warranted and includes unjustified nit-picking and fault finding often accompanied by unfair monitoring, exclusion and isolation accompanied by loud public humiliation with unjustified written and verbal warnings, the intent often being to force a resignation. Most bullying in the workplace is defended on the basis that the victim's performance is under par when often the figures are distorted in order to support the bully's fallacious argument. Fabricated appraisals are extremely common with workers records being marked down over a period of months or even years in an attempt by a long standing charge hand, supervisor or manager to ensure that the target of their ire is eventually dismissed.
Serial Bullies
Bullies in the workplace are often serial offenders and after the last victim has been dispatched either by dismissal, redundancy or resignation, the bully most often looks for another target and the cycle of events starts again with the bully empowered by the last success. This is perhaps the most obvious way in which to identify a bully especially if co-workers warn new entrants to watch out for the bully on the basis that anyone who tangles with the bully ends up leaving. Interestingly from a legal point of view this also provides the victim with the best chance of success in a legal case because of the number of potential witnesses available who have fallen foul of the behaviour of the serial bully.
Typical Sequence
The typical sequence of events in workplace bullying is that the serial bully identifies and selects a target often for the most ridiculous reason which is often personal and may result from a few wrong words being spoken that offended the bully. It must be said however that there are numerous reasons why a bully may pick a target the most obvious of which is if the target is very good at the job which makes the bully feel threatened. The victim is targeted over a long period of time and eventual makes a complaint to management who often support the bully because of the bully's higher status and length of service. The personnel department are hoodwinked and the target is either dismissed or disciplined which often leads to resignation and thereafter the whole process starts again. If the target takes the issue to an Employment Tribunal most firms will pay off the victim and keep the services of the bully who is seen as good for the company and a strong disciplinarian who has been wrongly targeted by the victim.
Employment Law Solicitor
Specialist employment solicitors offer free legal advice on bullying compensation claims before the Employment Tribunal. You will be given advice on the viability of your claim, the liability of your employer and the likely amount of the settlement award, without any further obligation. Employment solicitors deal with bullying compensation claims in the Employment Tribunal using a wide variety of legislation and may take action based on unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal, racial or sexual discrimination, harassment or victimisation. To speak to an unfair dismissal compensation claim solicitor about employment compensation claims just call the helpline or email our offices.
If you would like an initial free consultation for advice to find out whether you have a good case, how to go about claiming and how much your compensation might be worth you can call the helpline or complete the contact form or email our offices. If after talking to a specialist lawyer you decide not to take matters further you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged for our initial advice session.