RCN members: new tackling bullying resource available

Published: 09 July 2009

The Royal College of Nursing has launched a new online resource: Break the bullying spiral. Located in the RCN Learning Zone, the resource has been developed with the aim of increasing your understanding of the key concepts of tackling bullying whilst identifying the RCN's stance on the issues.

Using this resource will help you to:

increase your knowledge of what causes bullying and harassment in the workplace
learn about strategies that can be used to promote positive working relationships amongst colleagues
define the terms 'bullying' and 'harassment' and understand the key differences between them
recognise the key behaviours involved with bullying and harassment.

The resource also addresses:

the impact that bullying and/or harassment may have on individuals, teams and organisations
which issues may increase the likelihood of bullying or harassing behaviours taking place in the workplace
actions employees may take if they are bullied and/or harassed in the workplace
what action can be taken if you observe others being bullied and/or harassed
identifying appropriate employer action to deal with bullying and/or harassment.

RCN Senior Employment Relations Adviser Verity Lewis says that this resource will help people understand how to promote positive workplace behaviours. She says:

"This resource is a robust and timely addition to the existing, more traditional resources on tackling bullying, such as the excellent RCN publications. I thoroughly recommend it to RCN members and representatives".

The resource was developed jointly by the RCN Learning Zone team and the Employment Relations Department.