Defeating the bullies
Demonstrating its zero tolerance for bullying, The Department of Health is tackling delicate issues head on through a new film produced by Redhouse Lane Productions.
According to The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, one in five UK employees has been a victim of bullying or harassment in the last two years. Ineffective management is partly to blame, with one third of organisations doing nothing to monitor levels in their workplace.
Designed to create awareness, the film developed and produced for The Department of Health (DH), boldly mixes excerpts from BBC's The Office with convincing reconstructions and animation to probe and challenge attitudes.
"The film has acted as a real catalyst for local discussion of issues around bullying and harassment. It has allowed our staff to openly discuss issues in their workplace, as well as reminding people of the formal routes to tackle bullying and harassment within the department," said Harbhajan Singh Brar, DH's Human Resources Director.
Redhouse Lane's Head of Productions Rita Shamia says “the subject matter demanded a bold and engaging approach to take it to the top of the DH agenda. We're delighted to have worked on such a significant project.”
The 15 minute film encourages staff to raise and resolve concerns early, helping team-leaders distinguish between harassment and robust management. It also illustrates that bullying and harassment are not always as obvious as you'd imagine. Over-supervision, exclusion or having unrealistic expectations can also be counted as bullying, she says.
Bullying is a major contributor to stress related sickness costing the UK economy up to £1.3 billion a year.
The programme has just been rolled out with in-depth group training sessions and ‘thought breaks’ tactically placed throughout the piece to promote discussion. The film is also available to view on the intranet.
