Everyone in the workplace has a responsibility to maintain healthy communication, and managers must lead by example. This also involves establishing a shared understanding of the kind of workplace culture employees want to foster and actively involving everyone in creating that culture. It is important to consider how workplace culture is reflected in employees’ communication, behaviour and attitudes.

Bullying Does Not Occur in a Vacuum

When discussing workplace bullying, attention often focuses on individual behaviour and how to respond when incidents arise. Prompt and effective action is essential when bullying occurs, but understanding the conditions that can contribute to bullying is even more important for preventing it.

This means looking at the psychosocial work environment, which encompasses the organisation of work, management and workplace communication. Clear roles and responsibilities, adequate support and feedback for employees, and clear standards for workplace communication lay the foundation for a healthy work environment and can reduce the risk of negative interpersonal interactions.

When work organisation, management and workplace communication are inadequate, conditions may arise that contribute to misunderstandings, unclear division of responsibilities, a lack of clear priorities and workplace tensions.

If such issues are not addressed through effective management, they can create an environment in which negative interactions and attitudes develop and, in some cases, escalate into bullying.

It is therefore not enough to be prepared to respond to bullying when it occurs. Preventive measures must also be taken through proactive management, effective work organisation and positive workplace communication. This can help prevent conditions in which negative interactions become entrenched and eventually develop into bullying.

Conducting a risk assessment of the psychosocial work environment is an important tool in this context. It helps identify, at an early stage, factors that may have a negative impact, such as work organisation, unclear roles and responsibilities, workload, working hours and the need for support.

The risk assessment must be followed by measures to reduce identified risks and strengthen the factors that contribute to employees’ safety and well-being. It is important to follow up on these measures and evaluate whether they achieve the intended results. In this way, risk assessment provides an essential foundation for systematic prevention efforts.

A Healthy Workplace Culture Is the Best Prevention

Prevention, however, is not just about risk assessments and action plans. It is also reflected in the workplace culture that managers and employees shape together every day.

Workplace culture is reflected in the values, practices and attitudes that prevail in the work environment and influence how people communicate, work together and resolve disagreements. It also affects whether employees feel confident raising concerns about difficult workplace interactions, seeking support or identifying areas for improvement.

In workplaces where there is trust, clear standards for communication and a commitment to taking concerns seriously and following up on them, there are greater opportunities to intervene early before negative interactions escalate and develop into unhealthy patterns.

We All Have a Role to Play

Managers play a key role in creating a healthy work environment. Among other things, they need to establish a clear vision for the work environment, lead by example, provide support and ensure that issues are followed up on.

Employees also have an important role to play in creating and maintaining a healthy workplace culture. Each of us is responsible for our own behaviour, and we must all treat one another with respect and kindness. It is also important to speak up if we witness or experience inappropriate behaviour or negative workplace interactions.

From Awareness to Action

To mark Anti-Bullying Day on 8 November, the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health in Iceland is releasing a new educational video on workplace bullying in collaboration with social partner organisations, the Directorate of Health and the Directorate of Equality.

This is the seventh video to be released as part of the EKKO project, which has already produced a wide range of educational and supporting materials on the different forms, risk factors, prevention and response measures relating to bullying, harassment and violence in the workplace. Educational materials have also been developed on workplace culture and trust, both of which are key elements in preventing bullying, harassment and violence. All materials are available on the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health's website.

Education and increased awareness provide an important foundation for change. Awareness-raising efforts in recent years have brought us forward, but now is the time to turn knowledge into action and work together to create a work environment where safety, respect and well-being come first and bullying is not tolerated.

The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health encourages workplaces to make use of these educational materials to initiate discussions and take action.

Sara Hlín Hálfdanardóttir, specialist at the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health.