How Can I Address Workplace Bullying and Respect Personal Space in a Small Company?

Hi, I work in a small-sized company as an HR. Recently, a male employee went home. Upon asking him about the issue, he informed me that he had been bothered by a small group in the company and that his private space was not respected. He doesn't like to join in the discussions; however, he is forced to under the pretext of team bonding. The issues discussed are nothing but gossiping about others, which he doesn't want to take part in. He understands that the group is unaware that he has been bothered by their behavior, and they are not sensitized to the fact that behavior toward friends and colleagues needs to be different.

Our manager asked us to look into this. As we have a handful of people and the issue was due to ignorance, how do I tackle this situation without targeting anyone in particular? I found many policies related to sexual harassment, but this falls under workplace bullying, and we do not have a government guideline for it. How do I make the employee who has suffered feel safe to come to work, and how do I create a policy so that everyone becomes sensitive about everyone else's personal space?

Dear HR-Kts,

Whether a small company or otherwise, the crucial aspect of the organization is giving a specific shape to its culture. However, a large number of CEOs are not bothered about the company's culture. Their obsession is business expansion, looking for VCs, etc.

Anyway, with the problem at hand, you need to solve it also. You have written that "But this falls under workplace bullying and we do not have a government guideline for it." The incident that you have described does not fall under "workplace bullying" either. It is just that the staff are not properly trained in following workplace etiquettes. Secondly, expecting the government to create guidelines on workplace behavior is too much. Let us not allow the government to interfere in the internal matters of the organization.

Solution to Workplace Etiquette Issues

I recommend you conduct training on "business etiquette" or "workplace etiquette." You may take reference of the following link: https://www.forbes.com/2007/10/10/wo...h=55ba07913820. There are various other web resources also. You may refer to them.

In the link that I have given above, a list of the worst workplace behaviors has been mentioned. Referring to the points, you may organize the training. In the training program, tell the participants to do role plays and search for videos on YouTube and have a discussion on it.

Building a Culture of Business Etiquettes

Building a culture of business etiquettes is always a work in progress. It is never-ending. Therefore, you will have to redo this exercise after 1-2 years but in a different form.

A culture of business etiquettes helps improve productivity. You could come to know what happened in your office as one employee left during working hours. What if he had not left? The problem would have remained unaddressed. Therefore, the incident is a lesson for you also. How to keep the ear to the ground and foreclose the chance of employee demotivation.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar