Bullying in hospitality – how can we tackle it?
/Bullying was once regarded as part and parcel of working in the high-pressure environment of hospitality, particularly in back of house. But as awareness has grown and society has shifted, how far has hospitality come in changing workplace culture for the better?
To find out, Foodservice Rep has initiated our first industry survey in which we’re encouraging readers to share stories of workplace bullying and how such situations are tackled today. You can participate in the survey here and we will feature the results in next issue.
Take the survey
3 minutes and completely anonymous.
In the meantime, we’ve asked industry advocates and two of our own consultant chefs to share their thoughts on the subject.
Repeat occurrence a defining characteristic of bullying
In Australia, bullying is defined under section 789FD of the Fair Work Amendment Act 2013 as when an individual or group repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards a worker and that behaviour creates a risk to health and safety. Emma Dawson of Effective HR, which facilitates training sessions for hospitality on topics including bullying and harassment, makes the point that repeat occurrence is the key element here – as opposed to a one-off situation.
“It might be a chef in a high-stress situation yelling aggressively at others in the kitchen, it might be verbal abuse, physical abuse; social exclusion is quite a common one as well – if you don’t like someone you might purposely exclude them or ignore them in the presence of others. There’s also indirect bullying, which is more subtle – such as gossiping or spreading rumours, undermining someone’s work, social manipulation, and passive-aggressive behaviour such as demeaning or sarcastic comments disguised as jokes. Even giving someone the silent treatment can constitute bullying.”
EMMA DAWSON
“There are now severe consequences for people and businesses that let this behaviour go on”
Emma says while workplace bullying is still very common, there has been a massive improvement compared to 15 years ago where it was more likely to be the workplace norm. “There are now severe consequences for people and businesses that let this behaviour go on. Your business can be confronted with a stop bullying order from the Fair Work Commission, which employees can go to if they feel their workplace isn’t addressing the problem. They might also go to the work health and safety regulator which is different in each state – we have laws stating zero tolerance for bullying, so infringement notices can be issued for not providing a safe work environment.
“Workers compensation is another avenue, which can result in many months off work, and you can also go to the Human Rights Commission. Businesses are recognising there are risks to not addressing this and they are becoming more proactive. They need to understand what it is, how it can occur and what’s the process to deal with it when it does. Internal policies are really important to address those, as is training which should be provided at least annually to ensure everyone understands what constitutes workplace bullying.
“The key is always to encourage reporting ... it’s about creating a culture of openness”
Emma makes the point that perceptions differ and some people are more sensitive to conflict than others – “but at the end of the day, it’s about the perception of the victim. If someone feels they are intimidated, humiliated or degraded as the result of another’s actions on a repeated basis, there’s grounds for a complaint and they should always raise their concerns.
“One of the issues we come across is that people don’t want to be seen as a whistleblower or might not want to create conflict. What tends to happen then is that the issue doesn’t go away, instead it escalates. The key is always to encourage reporting in the first instance. It’s about creating a culture of openness where people can speak up.
“Businesses need to understand these concepts and put them into practice both proactively and reactively. Proactively it’s important to have a policy on bullying, to undertake regular training and appraisals where employees can raise any concerns. Regular anonymous surveys is a really good way to get intel about your business culture – you might notice negative comments around a particular individual or things that are occurring. Reactively, if someone raises a concern, you should never dismiss it out of hand – it needs to be investigated to substantiate whether it constitutes workplace bullying, and then you need to look at disciplinary action, which in the case of serious misconduct can lead to termination of employment.”
No place for bullying in any workplace
Longtime chef Peter Wright, whose Global Hospitality Group regularly caters for largescale events internationally, says bullying used to be endemic in commercial kitchens.
“This is my fifth decade in hospitality and we used to talk about the good old days, but that phrase is being used less and less which is a good thing, because kitchens were very violent and abusive places. There wasn’t the focus on mental health and wellbeing that there is today and you just dealt with it.
Peter Wright
“The last thing we want to do is make anyone feel uncomfortable ... that’s the biggest change we’ve seen across the industry this decade”
“Today I’m of the opinion there is no place for bullying in any workplace. You should be able to go to work and return home without having to deal with anything that adversely affects you physically or mentally, and thankfully there are people you can talk to about it inside and outside the workplace.
“We use a lot of casual staff who are only onboard for a short time and I say to them with sincerity, if there’s anything that concerns you, whether it’s the hours, the conditions or your own wellbeing, you need to speak up about it immediately. If you don’t want to speak to me, speak to someone you feel comfortable with, who can then speak on your behalf. The last thing we want to do is make anyone feel uncomfortable, and I think that’s the biggest change we’ve seen across the industry this decade.”
Shift for the better
Claire Van Vuuren, chef and owner of Bloodwood restaurant and bar in Sydney’s Newtown, agrees with Peter that there’s been a shift for the better. “I think hospitality in general has been put so much under the microscope over the past 15 years, that we’ve worked hard to improve in all aspects. We’re constantly under scrutiny and trying to do better, and the industry leaders have stepped up to make sure that’s followed through.
“Bullying hasn’t been stamped out, but people feel they can speak out about it, which makes it easier to put the flame out of the fire. They no longer feel they should have to put up with it – so bullies don’t last long because someone goes to management to sort them out. I think to eliminate it you would need to start at school level, which is where bullying begins. It stems from children in the playground and it goes on from there.
“I definitely feel in 2024 there’s a lot more respect in our kitchens in the way we deal with people”
Claire Van VuUren
“We happen to be in an industry where hierarchies are encouraged and there’s a competitive streak in cooking, plus we’re in an intense environment. So it can slip in, but leaders and managers have done a great job in creating an environment where people can at least talk about it. I definitely feel in 2024 there’s a lot more respect in our kitchens in the way we deal with people. If you don’t have that, it stands out and the people who are being targeted with bullying speak up a lot sooner today, as they rightfully should.”
Framing the issue around safety
Karen Maher is a former employment/health and safety lawyer in Australian and the UK who founded training organisation Smart Culture, which partners with organisations to get ahead of the game in preventing workplace bullying and harassment. She traces her passion for making workplaces safer, happier and more functional back to her early work experiences in hospitality.
“My first job was working in a pub in the Blue Mountains, and that was a baptism of fire because the head chef was so aggro – he would be constantly yelling at people and being abusive. If you made a mistake he would just yell and yell at you, and for a young worker who doesn’t have much life experience to know what is and isn’t OK at work, to have to turn up to your shift and cope with that is a big thing. We all just put up with it, and that was common in hospitality. That was the culture – he was the head chef and it’s probably reflective of the environment in which he was trained. There’s definitely been a shift but we’re not done yet.
“Once people understand this is really about safety, there’s more buy-in”
Karen Maher
Over the past 15 years Karen has developed a number of workplace training courses built around sharing stories and insights. “We talk about what really happens and the impact of getting this wrong, or continuing without improving our culture of how our workplace operates. We frame it as being about safety: in hospitality we understand the importance of making sure the floor’s not slippery to ensure people’s safety. Stopping bullying is equally about ensuring safety – making sure people are psychologically safe in the workplace. Once people understand this is really about safety, there’s more buy-in.”
After identifying what constitutes such behaviour, the next step is focusing on what practical steps can be taken. “If it’s happening, what is the speak-up process? Quite often with hospitality organisations we have to help them in putting together a process, because a big problem is people don’t know what to do. It’s important to speak up early so things don’t get out of hand – and leaders also have an important role to play in how they respond. It’s not just about getting through the job, but getting through safely, and making sure everyone’s OK. So, what do you do if you see such behaviour – you have to walk the talk and be proactive if you want to be a good leader and have people look up to you, you need to not tolerate these behaviours, and a lot of this is down to education.
KAREN MAHER CONDUCTING A TRAINING SESSION
“We also focus on bystander awareness and intervention – we go through scenarios and align them to the organisation, be it a restaurant or a club; we talk about their challenges, and then we ask them to think on their feet. What would I do if I witnessed someone being bullied, how would I stop what’s happening? You don’t want to just walk past, but to be part of positive change.
“The most exciting part of the work we do is when people start to shift their thinking as a result: they realise they need to be more conscious or careful, they start thinking differently about what they say and how they say it.
“That usually comes out of talking about different perspectives, because people start to realise they didn’t understand the impact of their actions. The workplace is changing – we’re not the same as 20 or even 10 years ago, and we actually have legal obligations to keep each other safe. And when people get the opportunity to learn this, things change.”
