Almost a quarter of staff employed by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District say they have been bullied at work in the past 12 months, according to new survey figures.
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The results of the NSW People Matter Employee Survey, undertaken by 50 per cent of the health district’s employees, were released this week.
The survey found 22 per cent of staff from Bulli Hospital, Coledale Hospital, David Berry Hospital, Kiama Hospital and Community Health Service, Milton-Ulladulla Hospital, Port Kembla Hospital, Shellharbour Hospital, Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital and Wollongong Hospital had been bullied in the past 12 months. Meantime, more than 40 per cent of staff have witnessed bullying in the workplace.
Of those who said they had been bullied, one third said it had been by a fellow worker at the same level as them, 28 per cent said it was by an immediate manager and 11 per cent by a senior manager.
What’s more concerning, is that five per cent of staff said they had been physically harmed or sexually harassed at work in the past 12 months. Twenty-nine per cent of these people said it was a co-worker who had harmed or abused them, while 45 per cent said the perpetrator was a member of the public.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven region’s rates were higher than the state average, with 33 per cent of health employees in NSW responding that they had witnessed bullying in their workplace, and 18 per cent reporting that they had experienced it.
Only 44 per cent of staff believed workplace culture had improved within the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District in the past 12 months.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District executive director finance workforce, corporate and strategic improvement, Gerrard Golding said it was concerning a percentage of staff had witnessed, or been subjected to bullying in the workplace.
“The District does not condone bullying, aggression or violence in the workplace,” he said.
“We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and we are constantly working to develop a workplace culture whereby any staff member who is bullied or witnesses bullying, feels comfortable and safe to report that activity.”
While the district has appointed a Workplace Behaviour Advisor to develop tools and resources and specifically work with staff and managers on the topic of acceptable workplace behaviour, Mr Golding said there was still more to be done.
“We know that staff often do not report unacceptable behaviour for a number of reasons,” he said.
“Therefore, we are focused on providing staff with a safe way to report so we can address the behaviour when it occurs.”
The health district spends more than $1 million annually on workplace culture and safety initiatives and this was reflected in some of the other survey results. Seventy-six of respondents indicated their job gave them a feeling of personal accomplishment, 87 per cent of staff members said their workgroup always strived to achieve customer/client satisfaction and 79 per cent said their workgroup works collaboratively to meet their objectives.
Madeline Crittenden
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
