Bullying and Harassment affects productivity at work
Bullying and harassment policies in the company needs to be reviewed, said International Financial Corporation global leader for gender based violence Shabnam Hameed.
IFC and the Fiji Human Resources Institute delivered its learning series on respectful workplaces at Novotel hotel, Lami yesterday.
Ms Hameed said this would create a safe and friendly environment for its employees, increase production. Ms Hameed says bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace also affects employees physically.
Impacts at the workplace
“If someone is being bullied or harassed at work, they are often going to have difficulty concentrating, they are going to be thinking about what just happened and if it is an ongoing issue they are going to start worrying and avoiding the perpetrator,” Ms Hameed said.
“This has a direct correlation to productivity because people are going to be spending their time at work but not actually thinking about work but actually just on how to survive in the workplace
“It also can lead to absenteeism, especially when the bullying and harassment is severe and long term, people are going to find it difficult to come to work.
“Some people are going to feel anxious, depressed, they might have physical elements that are stress related which then leads to them getting ill or just not coming to work.
“Also often people leave employment because they just cannot put up with the bullying and harassment anymore. “This then creates the costs to the business and staff turnover.
“This will then lead to hiring new people, advertising for the position, choosing the right person, putting them through the training to bring them up to speed,” she said.
The two organisations recently launched the Rakorako initiative that looks to transform businesses for a safe, family friendly and empowered workplace for the private sector.
IFC business case findings
Amongst other issues in the workplace, having proper regulations on child care responsibilities for private sector employees was also addressed at this learning series.
A report from IFC stated that almost six out of every ten parents reported being absent from work.
“High number of parents reported arriving late or leaving early to manage childcare responsibilities, with little difference between women and men,” the report stated.
“This leads to reduced productivity and can also increase stress and anxiety among parents,” the report stated.
Rakorako Initiative
Ms Hameed said said companies should get involved in this programme as they needed to talk about bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace.
“We encourage companies to participate in the Rakorako series.
“We are running a series on a number of issues that Fiji businesses have highlighted to us.
“These are issues that creates a barrier to equal participation in the workforce,” she said.