What are your options?
Our aim is to support people to discuss and de-escalate situations wherever possible. Use this flowchart to work through your options.
At any point, as a person involved in dealing with inappropriate behaviour, including bullying (experiencing, has had an allegation made against them, a witness, or manager of someone involved) you can talk with a manager, HR business partner or union representative.
It is everyone’s responsibility as individuals and within teams to do all you can to create a culture where you can thrive, to think about the impact your behaviour has on others, to speak up when you need to. The guide for STEP 1 will support you to create and sustain a positive culture in your team.
- We all have a PERSONAL responsibility to role model our values, to live up to our behaviour standards, and to reflect and consider changing if we are given feedback about inappropriate behaviour
- Each of our TEAMS should discuss values-led behaviours they want to see from each other, and use the resources in “Step 1. Creating a positive culture” to discuss their impact
- All of us are happy to give or receive FEEDBACK. If you experience or witness inappropriate behaviour your first option is to use BUILD to give feedback and discuss changes to improve the situation
In a high pressure environment people may still display or experience behaviours that are inappropriate. The guide for STEP 2 will help you to be clear and really specific about the behaviour you are experiencing. This will make it much easier to discuss and resolve. The guide includes a behaviours diary to help you log your experiences. It also includes a detailed list of behaviours to help you decide if something is acceptable, is an inappropriate one-off or is it formally bullying.
- First use the ‘Step 2. Reflect’ guide to think about what’s happening. Talk with someone you trust
- Are you clear about the specific behaviour you’re experiencing, witnessed or accused of? Use the definitions of behaviour in the Reflect guide to get clear about what’s happening
- If you are still not quite sure what’s happening – or not able to describe what is happening in detail - you may want to keep a behaviour diary
- It is possible that while you don’t like what’s happening it might be reasonable. You can use the ‘decision tree / flowchart’ in the Step 2. Reflect guide. This will help you to decide whether you feel the behaviour is
- Bullying or harassment
- One-off inappropriate behaviour
- Acceptable behaviour
- Our preferred approach to dealing with inappropriate behaviour and bullying is to support people to give direct feedback and to change behaviour.
- If you believe it is bullying or harassment, in considering the next steps you should consider the severity of the incident ◻︎ Is it harmful? ◻︎ Is it repeated? ◻︎ Is it physical? If you believe it is then it might be appropriate to consider moving directly to our formal process
As a learning organisation, with a no-blame culture, your first step will be to give feedback to the person or people involved. We use the BUILD model to give feedback. The STEP 3 guide gives an introduction to using BUILD and is about giving critical feedback without judgment or criticism. In many cases just letting the person know their behaviour doesn’t work for you will result in a change.
- Our approach is always to give feedback, to let the other person know that what they are doing is not working for you. If they don’t know, they can’t change their behaviour, and studies have shown that in many cases people are unaware that their actions are considered bullying by others
- You can remind yourself here of the BUILD approach that we use to give and receive feedback
- Decide whether you are OK to give the feedback yourself, or if you’d like to ask someone else
- Whoever is going to give the feedback can use this guide to prepare for a successful conversation. It includes a framework for you to structure and write down what you plan to say in the feedback
- After they have been given the feedback give them a chance to reflect and change
- If they change their behaviour, you may want to thank them – using the ABC of Appreciation
- If they do not change their behaviour or do not accept the need to change - this is the time to consider Support Resolution which is Step 4 in our approach
Our approach to Step 4. Supported Resolution is informal, designed to resolve concerns through dialogue and without a formal complaint. The informal process isn’t disciplinary and doesn’t disadvantage anyone involved. It will not be reflected on your personal record or performance reviews.
- Meet with your manager, Human Resources, a union representative, or another senior person. Be sure to bring along all of your notes - for example your behaviour diary, notes about feedback that was given and their response
- We can the arrange a facilitated meeting with all parties to discuss perspectives and options. This approach is much more likely to reach a resolution that can work for everyone, and to change people’s behaviour, than a formal disciplinary approach
- Keep talking with the person who is supporting you through the supported resolution process.
- If you feel the situation is resolved then keep in touch with all parties about how things are going
- If you feel the situation is not resolved, let them know so they can continue to observe and coach the other person’s behaviour; or you can suggest progressing a formal complaint
Our aim is to resolve issues with bullying or inappropriate behaviour informally wherever possible. Our Ethical Behaviour Policy is for serious issues or for when informal approaches haven’t worked.
- Submit written complaint with ‘instance of inappropriate behaviour’ form
- Allegations will then be managed in accordance with the Ethical Behaviour Policy.
Download a PDF of the 'What are your options' decision tree / flowchart.
