Browsing February, 2010

Accusations of bullying may be wrong

Nobody wins when accusations of bullying are based on a misunderstanding of what the term means.
Knee-jerk reactions based on misuse of the term do harm and conceal genuine cases of bullying.

Bullying helpline closes

The National Bullying Helpline has suspended services temporarily and announced that it is considering its future after it went public and said “three or four” Downing Street employees had called its helpline.
The HSE, in its study Bullying at work: a review of the literature, says that there are over the half a million cases of work-related stress reported each year in the UK and that, on average, each case results in 29 working days lost. Bullying is the cause of 10-20% of this, the report estimates.

Learn how to create dialogue

Learn how to create dialogue

Dialogue is a distinctive kind of communication that allows people to connect and build shared meaning. Compared with discussion – where people present ideas with the aim of putting forward the strongest or most persuasive view – dialogue fosters a collaborative exchange of ideas aimed at mutual respect and understanding.
This free resource tells you how to go about creating dialogue.

Working with difficult people

Difficult People – key ideas

This two page free download describes seven often common styles of difficult behaviour and gives ‘antidotes’ to help you work round them. Also included are some quick focusing techniques with simple mnemonics to remember them by.

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The power of an apology

We can all think of festering grudges that have tarnished or completely destroyed relationships, and most of us can probably think of a time when we could have said sorry but didn’t.

Workplace mediation

The media love to remind us of the ubiquity of conflict. Stories of war, high-profile divorce, religious clashes, strikes and workplace disputes are some, and popular entertainment carries the theme into our daily lives. Conflict sells, so it was a surprise to find that the Guardian had published an article on workplace mediation in the Guardian.

Workplace valentine?

Thinking about using the opportunity of Valentine’s Day to plunge into a new realationship at work?
Tut-tut! Not finger-wagging, just a suggestion to look before you leap. Sound advice, even if you don’t take it.

What do you think?

Welcome to my new website, it went live on 5th February. I have added more information and functionality. What do you think? I’d like your opinion. Does the site work? Is anything missing? Please leave a comment.

Responding to difficult behaviour, guide

Quick reference guide – difficult people

Difficult behaviour can arise in many different settings, and always in the context of a relationship. This Quick Reference Guide provides pointers and ideas to help you structure your thinking when you need to deal with someone else’s difficult behaviour.

How to handle workplace bullying

Quick reference guide – bullying

Bullying and harassment are pernicious and highly damaging. Many managers are unsure of how to deal with these behaviours, and victims quite often fail to recognise or report incidents. This quick reference guide will help you identify bullying and suggests some initial courses of action for dealing with it.