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Bullying, Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

Negative workplace behaviours, like bullying, discrimination, and harassment, can erode team trust, impact staff well-being, and compromise patient safety. Practices with respectful, inclusive cultures experience better morale, team cohesion, and patient outcomes.

  • Inappropriate behaviour: Undermines workplace culture but may not breach the law (e.g., exclusion, gossip).
  • Unlawful behaviour: Breaches legal protections (e.g., sexual harassment, racial vilification).

The guide outlines both, including legal obligations and practical responses.

Bullying: Repeated, unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to health and safety.

Harassment: Unwanted conduct based on protected characteristics (can be one-off) that undermines, offends or humiliates.

Look for:

  • Direct actions: Yelling, intimidation, physical contact.
  • Indirect actions: Microaggressions, exclusion, demeaning jokes.

Examples in the guide help illustrate these behaviours and their potential impact.

Subtle but damaging behaviours that can go unnoticed, such as:

  • Gossiping
  • Exclusion
  • Intimidation
  • Undermining others

These behaviours often signal deeper issues and require proactive, attentive leadership.

  • Frequent sick leave
  • Withdrawal or disengagement
  • Anxiety or performance decline
  • Speak up (if safe)
  • Support the affected person
  • Report the behaviour through formal channels
  • Document what you observe
  • Policy and reporting checklists
  • Self-assessment for leaders
  • Webinars, online training, and legal references
  • Contact pathways for support services
  • Model respectful conduct
  • Offer regular training
  • Promote open communication
  • Review and update policies
  • Establish confidential reporting options
  • Culture affects everything, from team morale to recruitment.
  • A culture of safety and respect encourages inclusivity, open dialogue, and early intervention.

When staff undermine or intimidate those in leadership (e.g., ignoring instructions, disrupting meetings and team culture, resisting accountability).

Effective responses include:

  • Include upward bullying in conduct policies
  • Discussing it openly
  • Providing leadership coaching and support
  • Encouraging bystander intervention and HR follow-up

Under positive duty laws, everyone must act when witnessing misconduct.
Intervening:

  • Promotes safety
  • Prevents escalation
  • Reinforces accountability
  • Diversity: Who is represented.
  • Inclusion: Who feels valued and heard.
  • Intersectionality: How overlapping identities shape someone’s experience.

Inclusive practices reduce the risk of exclusion, bias, and conflict.

Inciting hatred or contempt based on race, religion, or ethnicity.

  • It is unlawful and severely damages workplace culture.

No.

Asking about past trauma is not permitted under privacy laws and may re-traumatise the individual.
Instead, use scenario-based questions to assess values, teamwork, and communication skills.

  • Capability issue: The person can’t meet job expectations despite effort.
  • Behavioural issue: The person acts inappropriately regardless of skill.

Each requires different approaches.

No: if done, respectfully, and in line with documented expectations.

Bullying involves intent to harm or intimidate.

  • Call it out respectfully
  • Reinforce expectations
  • Include behavioural standards in induction and training

Self-aware individuals:

  • Recognise their triggers
  • Adjust communication styles
  • Respond constructively
  • Leaders with emotional intelligence foster healthier teams.
  1. Acknowledge the issue
  2. Gather factual evidence
  3. Respond promptly and professionally
  4. Review processes to prevent recurrence

To create a psychologically safe, respectful and inclusive workplace where:

  • Everyone feels safe, and heard
  • Issues are addressed early and appropriately
  • Values are lived, not just listed

What is the purpose of this guide?
This guide supports general practice teams in identifying and addressing bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
It helps clarify the difference between inappropriate and unlawful behaviour, explains relevant laws (like the Respect@Work legislation), and provides practical tools and resources for prevention and response.

Resources

For resources pertaining to the following topics, please visit the webpages

hat are the key sections of the guide?
The guide is structured into four sections:

  1. Introduction to the topic – Definitions, Cultural Sensitivity, Professional Standards and Conduct
  2. Identifying inappropriate and unlawful behaviour – Sexual harassment, recognising workplace bullying and harassment, reasonable work instruction, discrimination and vilification, diversity and inclusion, upward bullying
  3. Managing inappropriate and unlawful behaviour – Prevention and response, ensuring a psychologically safe workplace, legal framework, taking action, investigation
  4. Tools and resources – Checklists, reporting pathways, and support materials

GPSA has developed this content in collaboration with subject matter expert Maureen Kyne.

Click here or use the QR code for more information.

 

Date reviewed: 01 May 2025

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.
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