Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Workplace bullying remains a substantial problem in many developed countries. It is estimated to cost the Australian economy over AUD$6 billion annually, the Irish economy at least €3 billion and the US around US$300 billion. In 2012 the Australian Government established a parliamentary inquiry into workplace bullying that resulted in the creation of a specific bullying jurisdiction within the Fair Work Commission to deal with the issue. This paper provides an overview and critical analysis of the new jurisdiction, comparing it to approaches in Europe and the United States. The paper argues for the adoption of stricter penalties, including criminal sanctions with considerable fines and uncapped compensation, as the most effective deterrent to toxic workplace cultures.

Keywords

Australian legislative framework Fair Work Act 2009 international perspectives on workplace bullying occupational health and safety workplace bullying

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2012) Submission 62 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

Australian Council of Trade Unions (2012) Submission 63 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

Australian Human Rights Commission (2004) Information for Employers: Fact Sheet: Workplace Bullying. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/information-employers-fact-sheet-workplace-bullying.

Australian Human Rights Commission (2012) Working Without Fear: Results of the Sexual Harassment National Telephone Survey 2012. Sydney: AHRC. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/working-without-fear-results-sexual-harassment-national-telephone-survey-2012

Australian Institute of Employment Rights (2012) Submission 109 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

Australian Mines & Metals Association (2012) Submission 124 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

Ballard

Easteal

(2014) Mapping the legal remedy pathways for workplace bullying: A preliminary overview. Alternative Law Journal 39: 94.

Berthelsen

Skogstad

Lau

. (2011) Do they stay or do they go? A longitudinal study of intentions to leave and exclusion from working life among targets of workplace bullying. International Journal of Manpower 32: 178.

Bleby

(2013) New anti-bullying laws to open ‘litany’ of complaints. BRW. Available at: http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/new_anti_bullying_laws_to_open_litany_E4hvzAo0PrkPoeqEfQGF6J (accessed 31 December 2015).

10.

Block

Berg

Belman

(2005) The economic dimension of the employment relationship. In: Coyle Shapiro

Shore

Taylor

Tetrick

(eds). The Employment Relationship: Examining Psychological and Contextual Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

11.

Bovingdon

(2006) Disability, Workplace Bullying and Welfare to Work Reforms. Proceedings of the 20th ANZAM Conference ‘Management: Pragmatism, Philosophy, Priorities’. Yepoon, Queensland, Australia.

12.

Branch

Ramsay

Barker

(2012) Workplace bullying, mobbing and general harassment: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews 15: 280.

13.

Calvert

O’Connell

(2008) Is Once Not Enough? Methodological Issues in the Measurement of Workplace Bullying. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Workplace Bullying, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada.

14.

Calvin

(2012) Workplace bullying statutes and the potential effect on small business. Ohio State Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal 7: 167.

15.

Caponecchia

Wyatt

(2011) Preventing Workplace Bullying: An Evidence-based Guide for Managers and Employees. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin.

16.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2005) Bullying at Work: Beyond Policies to a Culture of Respect. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D9105C52-7FED-42EA-A557-D1785DF6D34F/0/bullyatwork0405.pdf (accessed 31 December 2015).

17.

Cooper-Thomas

Gardner

O’Driscoll

. (2013) Neutralizing workplace bullying: The buffering effects of contextual factors. Journal of Managerial Psychology 28(4): 384.

18.

Craig

(1999) Privacy and Employment Law. Oxford/Portland: Hart Publishing.

19.

Creighton

Rozen

(1997) Occupational Health and Safety Law in Victoria. 2nd edn. Leichhardt, NSW: The Federation Press.

20.

Diversity Council of Australia (2012) Submission 185 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

21.

Escartín

Ullrich

Zapf

. (2013) Individual-and group-level effects of social identification on workplace bullying. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 22: 182.

22.

Eurofound (2009) Increase in workplace bullying over the last 10 years. Available at: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/articles/increase-in-workplace-bullying-over-past-ten-years (accessed 31 December 2015).

23.

Eurofound (2011) Rise in Reported Cases of Bullying and Violence at Work. Available at: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_files/ewco/surveyreports/DK1108019D/DK1108019D.pdf (accessed 31 December 2015).

24.

Eurofound (2013) Physical and Psychological Violence at the Workplace. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: http://eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_files/pubdocs/2013/81/en/1/EF1381EN.pdf (accessed 31 December 2015).

25.

Eurofound (2015) Violence and Harassment in European Workplaces: Extent, Impact and Policies. Dublin: Eurofound. Available at: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/comparative-information/violence-and-harassment-in-european-workplaces-extent-impacts-and-policies (accessed 31 December 2015).

26.

Fair Work Commission (2014) Delivering Public Value: Annual Report 2013–14. Available at: https://www.fwc.gov.au/annual-report-2013-14.

27.

Farrell

Geist-Martin

(2005) Communicating health: Perceptions of wellness at work. Management Communication Quarterly 18: 543.

28.

Finne

Knardahl

Lau

(2011) Workplace bullying and mental distress: A prospective study of Norwegian employees. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 37: 276.

29.

Fischinger

(2010–2011) ‘Mobbing’: The German law of bullying. Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 32: 153.

30.

Georgakopoulos

Wilkin

Kent

(2011) Workplace bullying: A complex problem in contemporary organizations. International Journal of Business and Social Sciences 2: 1.

31.

Government of South Australia (2012) Submission 216 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

32.

Harmers Workplace Lawyers (2012) Submission 88 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

33.

Helge

Glasø

Hetland

. (2010) Leadership styles as predictors of self-reported and observed workplace bullying. British Journal of Management 21: 453.

34.

Hershcovis

(2010) Incivility, social undermining, bullying…oh my!: A call to reconcile constructs within workplace aggression research. Journal of Organizational Behavior 32: 499.

35.

Hoel

Einarsen

Cooper

(2003) Organisational effects of bullying. In: Einarsen

Hoel

Zapf

. (eds) Bullying and Emotional Abuse: International Perspectives in Research and Practice. London: Taylor & Francis, pp.145–61.

36.

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment (2012a) Workplace Bullying: ‘We Just Want It To Stop’. Committee Report, Commonwealth of Australia.

37.

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment (2012b) Inquiry into Workplace Bullying: Terms of Reference. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=ee/bullying/tor.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

38.

Hutchinson

(2012) Rethinking workplace bullying as an employment relations problem. Journal of Industrial Relations 54: 637 at 642.

39.

International Labour Organization (1998) Violence on the Job: A Global Problem. Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_007970/lang--en/index.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

40.

Jenkins

(2011) Practice note: Is mediation suitable for complaints of workplace bullying? Conflict Resolution Quarterly 29: 25.

41.

Jenkins

Winefield

Sarris

(2013) Perceptions of unfairness in the management of bullying complaints: Exploring the consequences. International Journal of Business Administration 4: 16.

42.

Job Watch Employment Rights Legal Centre (2012) Submission 103 to the House of Representatives House Standing Committee on Education and Employment’s Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

43.

Law Institute of Victoria (2012) Submission 52 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

44.

Lippel

(2010–2011) The law of workplace bullying: An international overview. Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 32: 1.

45.

Marie Hansen

and the Nordic Bullying Network Group (2011) State of the Art Report on Bullying at the Workplace in the Nordic Countries. Available at: norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:701559/FULLTEXT01.pdf (accessed 31 December 2015).

46.

Master Electricians Australia (2012) Submission 38 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

47.

McCarthy

Rylance

Bennett

. (2001) Bullying: From Backyard to Boardroom. 2nd edn. Leichhardt, NSW: The Federation Press.

48.

Namie

(2014) 2014 WBI US Workplace Bullying Survey. Workplace Bullying Institute. Available at: http://workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/WBI-2014-US-Survey.pdf/ (accessed 31 December 2015).

49.

Owens

(2002) Decent work for the contingent workforce in the new economy. Australian Journal of Labour Law 15: 209.

50.

Parzefall

M-R

Salin

(2010) Perceptions of and reactions to workplace bullying: A social exchange perspective. Human Relations 63: 761.

51.

Pinkos-Cobb

(2011) Workplace Bullying: A Global Overview. Available at: http://www.management-issues.com/opinion/6235/workplace-bullying-a-global-overview/ (accessed 31 December 2015).

52.

Productivity Commission (2010) Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Occupation Health and Safety. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government.

53.

Ryan Carlisle Thomas Solicitors (2012) Submission 106 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

54.

Safe Work Australia (2012) Submission 74 to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into Workplace Bullying. Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=ee/bullying/subs.htm (accessed 31 December 2015).

55.

Samnani

A-K

(2013) Is this bullying? Understanding target and witness reactions. Journal of Managerial Psychology 28: 290.

56.

Shavin

(2014) What Workplace Bullying Looks Like in 2014—And How to Intervene. Forbes Online. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/naomishavin/2014/06/25/what-work-place-bullying-looks-like-in-2014-and-how-to-intervene/ .

57.

Squelch

Guthrie

(2010) The Australian legal framework for workplace bullying. Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 32: 15.

58.

Summers

(2001) Employment at will in the United States: The divine right of employers. University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law 3: 65.

59.

TC LABOUR (2010) In Focus: Law on the Prevention of Harassment at Work. Available at: http://www.cplaw.rs/law-on-the-prevention-of-harassment-at-the-workplace/

60.

Tepper

White

(2011) Workplace harassment in an academic environment. Saint Louis University Law Journal 56: 81.

61.

Trépanier

S-G

Fernet

Austin

(2013) Workplace bullying psychological health at work: The mediating role of satisfaction of needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Work and Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health and Organisations 27: 123.

62.

van Fleet

Griffin

(2006) Dysfunctional organization culture: The role of leadership in motivating dysfunctional work behaviors. Journal of Managerial Psychology 21: 698.

63.

van Schalkwyk

L-M

Els

Rothmann

(2011) The moderating role of perceived organisational support in the relationship between workplace bullying and turnover intention across sectors in South Africa. South African Journal of Human Resource Management 9: 285.

64.

Vega

Comer

(2005) Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can break your spirit: Bullying in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics 58: 101.

65.

World Health Organization (2010) Health Impact of Psychosocial Hazards at Work: An Overview. Available at: http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/hazardpsychosocial/en/ (accessed 31 December 2015).

66.

Yamada

(2010–2011) Workplace bullying and American employment law: A ten year progress report and assessment. Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 32: 251.

Workplace bullying laws in Australia

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References