Draft Code of Practice – "Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying"

Bullying at work, like bullying anywhere else, is something that has been around for centuries. Often easier to recognise than define, its impact in the workplace and on productivity is now beginning to be better understood. If reports are to be believed, it is the scourge of the modern workplace.

Until recently, the problem had been relatively 'contained', in that workplaces have been reasonably easy to define (spatially) and the offending behaviour conducted in front of, and sometimes to impress, others. It usually involved some element of physical or verbal, face to face interaction between workers. It was usually noticeable but at the end of the day, you left the office, workshop or site and you left it behind, albeit temporarily.