David Thorsen, Director of Human Resource Services at the University of New England, which employs about 2000 people, explains what it means to be an active bystander at work and why it's more important now than ever.
"Organisations have a responsibility to ensure that their work environment is conducive to staff working optimally," he says. "That's a legislative obligation, and it's relatively straightforward when it comes to things like saftey in the physical environment, but more difficult if people are bullying or behaving in a disrespectful, sexist or discriminatory manner.
"It's the responsibility of leadership and management to create a culture in which people feel safe to put their hand up, that by reporting the issue it will be taken seriously, and thoroughly and formally investigated. Codes of conduct, policies and protocols need to be embedded, living documents."
So why can people hesitate about calling out bad behaviour?
"Power imbalances between employees and managers can make it more complicated," David says. "Fear of retribution is another significant factor. It's incumbent on the organisation to try to ensure that systems and processes are in place to mitigate that personal risk as much as possible."
So what are the avenues for reporting inappropriate behaviour?
"It will depend on the circumstances and who is involved," David says. "In NSW we have 'protected disclosure' legislated, which provides a means of reporting something confidentially and anonymously, protected from any impacts, in the most serious cases."
In other cases, a complaint or witness can:
- Report the behaviour to their manager, if appropriate;
- Report it confidentially to independent Human Resources staff, who can advise on the processes;
- Seek advice from their union or staff representative body; or
- Seek independent legal advice.
What does it mean to be an active bystander?
"If you are witnessing an issue involving a work colleague, then you have to consider whether it is aligned with your own personal values," David says. "If it's not, and you don't call out that behaviour, then you are not being true to yourself. It can be a very challenging situation, and Australia's non-dobbing culture is engrained in us, starting at school. But if the matter is serious and will have consequences for someone else, then you have to be brave enough to call it out."
How should a person receiving the complaint respond?
"If the manager or supervisor does not respond to the complaint, then it will normally get worse, not better," David says. "It's a lot easier to address problems earlier than later. Ignored behaviour is condoned behaviour. Most large organisations will have complaint procedures to address issues both informally and formally or, depending on the seriousness of the issues, there are other unsatisfactory performance or misconduct processes that can be commenced.
"Failing to address inappropriate behaviour not only has implications for the person subjected to it; it can affect the broader business. Businesses can lose good staff and/or productivity. There can be increased absenteeism because people feel uncomfortable at work, as well as compliance risks for the organisation."
And the final word?
"One of my frustrations is that people will often complain confidentially but expect others to be able to take action that will effectively deal with the situation, which is not always possible," David says. "I have seen people leave an organisation rather than deal with an issue. Unless they are prepared to get involved, it's very difficult for anything to be done in a lot of cases. It leaves the organisation with its hands tied. It takes courage, I know, but individuals need to take some ownership, follow the complaint through and have confidence that they will be supported through that process."
