Colleges and universities are failing to deal with bullying, warns report

The call comes after a new survey revealed that over forty per cent (41%) of staff working in further education and more than one in three staff working in higher education (34%) had experienced bullying and harassment.
 
The UCU survey shows a widespread failure of institutions to respond adequately to complaints about bullying, with over half (54%) of those questioned saying the response of employers was 'bad' or 'very bad'.
 
The survey further revealed that one in ten staff in further education had faced physical violence, with more women (39%) experiencing abuse at work than men (36%).
 
 According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) bullying is one of the key causes of stress and is responsible for the loss of many thousands of days off work because of stress-induced illness. The union today warned that unless robust measures are put in place across all institutions, the problem was likely to get worse, with funding cuts in both sectors likely to increase workloads.

Key findings of the survey, which was carried out in November 2008:

• over forty per cent (41%) of respondents working in further education say they have been bullied
• more than one in three (34%) staff surveyed in higher education say they have been the victim of bullying and harassment
• 54% of those questioned across both sectors say the response of employers to bullying complaints was 'bad' or 'very bad'
• one in ten members in colleges say they faced physical violence
• women in post-16 education were more likely than men to experience workplace bullying; 39% of women, and 36% of men, reported having been bullied in the preceding six months.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "The level of bullying in further and higher education is alarmingly high.Everybody has the right to work in a safe environment free from bullying; sadly these results suggest that is not the case and working relationships are increasingly strained. Colleges and universities owe staff a duty of care and I am particularly concerned at the poor level of response by a number of employers to bullying complaints.

"Good institutions are ones that are aware of the problems and are proactively trying to tackle them. Poor ones are those who refuse to accept there may be a problem or try to place the blame elsewhere. With both sectors facing huge cuts and the very real possibility of heavier workloads it is essential that robust measures are put in place to support staff.

"The bottom line is that too many staff in colleges and universities are continuing to be bullied and harassed. They cannot perform well when they are constantly suffering from stress, so students suffer too. Action is required now to tackle these problems."

A copy of the survey can be found at: Who listens? Bullying in further and higher education [159kb]