Aims
To encourage employee representatives and employers to build cultures in which respect for individuals is regarded as an essential part of the conduct of all those who work in the organisation. The project will also increase awareness and knowledge of 'dignity at work' issues, and encourage the development of partnership working in the workplace through the promotion of joint working on dignity at work.
The Dignity at Work Partnership was established with funding jointly from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Unite the Union to tackle the problem of bullying and harassment in the workplace. The aim of the project is for employers and employee representatives to work together to find ways of addressing the issues around bullying.
Baroness Anne Gibson, who introduced a Dignity at Work Bill in the House of Lords, chairs the steering group and several high profile companies have already signed up to project including, BAE Systems, BT, the Chemical Industries Association, Legal & General, Remploy and Royal Mail.
Since workplace bullying was recognised as a problem more than a decade ago, many organisations have adopted policies to address the issue. We are looking at what has worked, not just here in the UK, but elsewhere around the world. Our objective is to seek the best examples and develop guidance on them.
However, a policy is no use unless all parties work together to take on the challenge. If we can learn from one another, we can avoid mistakes and in this way, Dignity at Work values will thrive. Employees will then experience greater fulfilment at work and organisations will benefit from better performance.