A study released by the Australian Catholic University and University of New England has revealed over 95 per cent of education workers experience bullying in the workplace.
The study involved more than 2,500 education workers and identified 42 types of bullying.
Queensland Teachers Union vice president Julie Brown says she is surprised by the findings.
“If you go to your supervisor and he or she says ‘just get on with it’ and isn’t terribly supportive of your workload issues, you might perceive that as bullying,” she says.
“It isn’t really – it’s an industrial issue.”
Ms Brown says talking about issues is the best way to resolve problems, with the study finding staff are often unaware of their bullying behaviour.
“You need to address that behaviour,” she says.
“We suggest that you go to your supervisor and make a time when both of you have time.”
Ms Brown also says feeling bullied is often a matter of personal perception.
“Sometimes it’s a mistake of the person who thinks they’re being bullied when it’s just maybe delivered in a fast manner because someone had a lot of other work commitments,” she says.
Related Links