A significant contributor to employee absence is workplace bullying. Workplace bullying is reflective of a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others causing either physical or emotional harm, typically through humiliation, verbal and physical means.
Workplace Bullying & Claim Management – The rate of work-related injuries in Australia is a significant factor in the overall productivity of the economy. Unfortunately, these cases carry economic burdens with the obvious cost of treatment and management for the injury.
What often goes overlooked is the impact these incidents have by depriving the employer of an employee. An Industry Commission study (1995) estimated that only 25 per cent of the total cost of work–related injury and disease was due to the direct costs of work-related incidents. The remaining 75 per cent was accounted for by indirect costs such as lost productivity, loss of income and quality of life. The longevity of the workers’ health and employment leads to the prosperity of the business, ultimately reducing future costs and ensuring greater workplace efficiency.
One of the greatest contributors to absence of employees, is the issue of workplace bullying. This issue is outlined as a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others that causes either physical or emotional harm, typically through humiliation, verbal and physical means.
Mental disorders often result from these cases of bullying, and thus the return to work process can be complex and lengthy. Mental disorders make up 6% of all serious workers compensation claims, 20% of which are related to work-related harassment or bullying. This equates to approximately 1,400 people enduring psychological harm as a consequence of workplace bullying. These 1,400 workers are taking more than a week’s work off due to psychological injury, leaving employers vulnerable to decreased workplace productivity and potential increases in workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
The difficulty with returning to work stems not only from the psychological nature of injury, which is complex in itself, but also the fact that returning to the same workplace can result in repeated bullying or relapse. As a result, those who lodge a psychological claim tend to have lengthy periods off work and workers find themselves fearing a return to the same workplace.
Hence, management is essential for the longevity of a business and its workers. Understanding the complexity of a psychological claim from bullying is the first step to recovery. Implementing targeted HR policies in the workplace that encompass those notions. Examples can be within the HR department, where mental health policies can be administered to provide a support network surrounding the identification of bullying and the actions that can be taken in response to it in the workplace. It is important to know that these events can happen anywhere at any time, so it is important to have clarity and communication with your workers in regards to bullying.
Our experienced HR and workers compensation specialist have encountered a large variety of psychological claims, implementing necessary actions & plans to minimise impacts.
For support or advice, please contact our HR or Injury / Claim Management specialists for assistance.
Reference:
Source: SafeWork Australia
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