What is bullying at work and what can you do about it?
Watch the video above where Kate explains exactly what to do if you are being bullied at work.
Bullying and harassment may include abuse, excessive workload, and unreasonable performance expectations. First, report the issue to your immediate superior. If unresolved after multiple attempts, you can file a grievance.
Employees have 90 days from when they first identified the bullying to raise a personal grievance claim under the Employment Relations Act. We can help you at the outset to try and resolve your problem and we can help you with your grievance and subsequent progress towards a solution.
What Workplace Bullying IS:
- Repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker which can lead to physical or psychological harm.
- Repeated behaviour occurs more than once and can involve a range of actions over time.
- Unreasonable behaviour means actions that a reasonable person in the same circumstances would see as unreasonable. It includes victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening a person.
- Bullying may also include harassment (including sexual harassment), discrimination or violence.
What is NOT Workplace Bullying:
- One-off or occasional instances of forgetfulness, rudeness or tactlessness.
- Setting high performance standards.
- Constructive feedback and legitimate advice or peer review.
- A manager requiring reasonable verbal or written work instructions to be carried out.
- Warning or disciplining workers in line with the business’ or undertaking’s code of conduct.
- A single incident of unreasonable behaviour.
- Reasonable management actions delivered in a reasonable way.
- Differences in opinion or personality clashes that do not escalate into bullying, harassment or violence.
We must be able to prove that the bully caused harm and also intended to cause harm on more than one occasion.
You will be expected to have kept records of the incidents and to have told someone else, preferably management.
Bullying Formal Complaint Form
If the bullying is not an immediate threat to your health and you know your employer is not yet aware of the situation you can use this form to raise a formal complaint:
Work Safe NZ have forms you can complete to give to your manager, or to your HR department. This is to make sure your employer is aware of the bullying situation, and gives them the opportunity to respond. These complaint forms have been provided for workers to report bullying or other upsetting behaviour to their businesses. The assessment form can assess how well your business prevents and responds to bullying. Click here for the Work Safe forms.
Read reviews from people just like you who we have helped with their employment disputes.
I am incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I received from Hilary and the team at Work Law.
I found myself dealing with a very stressful employment situation and felt completely out of my depth. From my first conversation with Hilary, I felt heard, supported, and reassured that I didn’t have to navigate everything on my own. Throughout the process, Hilary was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and always willing to answer my questions. She explained things clearly, kept me informed, and provided support during what was a very difficult period. What impressed me most was the genuine care she showed. I never felt like just another case file. She took the time to understand my situation and worked hard to achieve a fair resolution. I cannot thank Hilary enough for her dedication, expertise, and advocacy. The outcome has allowed me to move forward and focus on the future. I would highly recommend Hilary and Work Law to anyone needing help with an employment matter. Thank you again for everything.
I would highly recommend Sandy to anyone needing an employment advocate
I had a truly positive experience working with Sandy Ward during a very challenging and stressful period, and I am so glad I contacted Work Law before resigning out of exhaustion. From our first conversation, Sandy was calm, compassionate and genuinely took the time to understand my situation. She balanced empathy with professionalism, providing thoughtful, measured advice throughout the process. She made a difficult situation feel manageable and gave me confidence when I needed it most. Sandy’s communication was outstanding—clear, pragmatic and outcome focused. She combines genuine warmth with strong resolve and is clearly an exceptionally skilled & experienced advocate who is not going to be intimidated while negotiating! I felt I had someone firmly in my corner who was both compassionate and highly effective. I would highly recommend Sandy to anyone needing an employment advocate, she combines exceptional expertise with kindness, integrity and genuine care for her clients. Thank you Sandy.
Aston is knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely committed to helping his clients.
I highly recommend Aston for employment law matters.
From the beginning, Aston took the time to understand my situation, provided honest and practical advice, and guided me through a very stressful employment dispute with professionalism and care.
What I appreciated most was his straightforward approach and willingness to explain the process clearly. He worked hard to achieve a fair outcome and was always focused on finding a practical resolution rather than creating unnecessary conflict.
I was particularly grateful for his support during a difficult period and for his efforts in negotiating a settlement that allowed me to move forward positively.
If you are looking for an employment lawyer who is knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely committed to helping his clients, I would not hesitate to recommend Aston.
Thank you again for all your assistance.
I recommend Sandy.
Sandy is amazing! Very fast to respond and does a thorough job, trust her a lot and highly recommend her!
I would highly recommend Hilary and Work Law to anyone needing employment advocacy assistance.
I cannot thank Hilary enough for her support during a very difficult and stressful employment matter.
From the very beginning, Hilary was professional, knowledgeable, approachable, and genuinely cared about achieving the best possible outcome for me. She took the time to explain every step of the process, answered my many questions with patience, and provided reassurance whenever things felt uncertain or overwhelming.
What stood out most was that I never felt like just another client. Hilary was always responsive, supportive, and willing to go the extra mile to help me navigate what was a challenging period in my life.
Thanks to her hard work, dedication, and expertise, my matter was successfully resolved, allowing me to move forward with confidence.
I would highly recommend Hilary and Work Law to anyone needing employment advocacy assistance. If you are looking for someone who is knowledgeable, compassionate, and genuinely committed to helping their clients, you will be in excellent hands.
Thank you again, Hilary.
CONTACT US FOR A FREE CASE EVALUATION
You can trust us to listen
Statistics prove that legal representation for employees by an employment lawyer or employment law advocate improves your chance of a successful outcome.
You have nothing to lose by having a free consultation with an Employment Law Advocate.
You can email us using the form below. When you receive the automated reply to your email please reply and attach any correspondence you have received from your employer.