Recently, the Victorian Government passed legislation that now means the act of bullying can be viewed as a criminal offence. Employees convicted of bullying could be ordered jail terms of up to 10 years.

In conjunction with this, Worksafe can still prosecute the employee, manager,company director and/or company owner/s for bullying and/or vicarious liability and fines could be imposed.

This new legislation should have far reaching consequences, with such behaviours as threats and abusive words/actions being considered serious bullying for which perpetrators are liable to face jail terms.

Also, changes to the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act come into effect on 1 August 2010. It is incumbent on every organisation to alert staff to these changes and the effect/impacts for them.

Workplace Conflict Resolution welcomes discussion with you about training in the ‘Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination’. Whether your staff require a short update training session or a more in depth review – especially suited to managers, Workplace Conflict Resolution would be happy to tailor an approach that suits your workforce.