Bullying: a serious workplace issue

Workplace managers must do more to create a healthy work environment.

This is one of the conclusions of a survey on workplace bullying carried out by Starvsfelagið, the country’s largest trade union.

One in five respondents reported having experienced workplace bullying, and one in seven said they do not feel valued by management.

One in six reported that they are not informed about important changes in the workplace.

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Leivur Persson, the head of the Work Environment and Fire Safety Authority, finds it alarming that 20 percent of survey respondents have experienced workplace bullying.

“This calls for some serious reflection. The new figures will feature prominently in our upcoming review of mental health in the workplace,” he says.

“Since workplace bullying is more difficult to detect than other workplace injuries, we urge victims of workplace bullying to contact us to inform us which workplaces might be good for us to investigate.”

He suggests that all workplaces with more than ten staff members ought to set up a work security group.

Survey confirms trend

The survey results appear to confirm a trend of increasing workplace bullying as they correlate with other similar surveys abroad, according to psychologist Katrin av Kák, one the survey authors.

“We set out to learn about how office environments affect workplace bullying,” she says.

“Our results suggest that when management communicates well and shows trust and respect for the employees, this improves relations between work colleagues and can help prevent workplace bullying.”

Read more about the survey here (in Faroese only).

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

More Faroese News in English.