A landmark court decision has provided essential practical
guidance to employers seeking clarity on what constitutes bullying
under Irish law. In a split decision, the Court of Appeal in
Ruffley v Board of Management of St Anne's School overturned
the highest ever award of damages to an employee for workplace
bullying on the grounds that the defendant's actions did not
constitute workplace bullying.
Workplace bullying is defined under Irish law as
"repeated inappropriate behaviour... which could
reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to
dignity at work." As it can be difficult to determine
when this threshold has been met in practice, the Court's
detailed consideration of the definition of workplace bullying is
an important development for employers. The conclusions of the
Court and the key lessons for employers following the decision are
outlined below.
