I was fortunate enough to to attend an AHRI HR seminar on workplace bullying and hear some of the latest ways companies are approaching this delicate topic.
What struck me the most was that many companies were still trying to work out the best way to deal with allegations that have arisen since the legislation started.
The general consensus was that very few cases ended up as “win-win” or even “lose-win”. Most seemed to be leaning towards the field of “lose-lose”. That is, neither the person making the complaint nor the person who had the complaint made against them, were satisfied with the outcome. This sort of feeling often results the original issue perpetuating a toxic working environment.
The lesson we should take when planning possible resolutions is to be mindful of the fact that it may be hard to satisfy both parties. If that occurs, we should also be mindful of what the implications are for the ongoing work environment.