Ban Bullying Day [BBD2004]
Wednesday 27th October 2004

Ban Bullying Day is now in its third year and this year will be held on Weds 27th October. Ban Bullying Day was started by Amicus, the Andrea Adams Trust, the Work Foundation and IRS Eclipse Publications back in 2002 to raise awareness of bullying in the workplace and gather support for the Dignity at Work Bill.

What will you be doing on 27th October?

• Will you be belittled, shouted at, harassed, have your work and responsibilities taken away, threatened, intimidated, made fun of...and do you know what you are going through...and do you know what to do about it?
• Will you see someone suffer from bullying, harassment, intimidation or discrimination...and will you say anything?
• Are you a manager who knows that someone is quiet, tearful and very clearly unhappy at work, maybe they have made complaints in the past but nothing has been done...and will you talk to them, HEAR them and take what they say seriously...and will YOU do something to help them?
• Will you be working in HR and get a complaint from someone who is alleging some form of abuse...and will you take it seriously, will you investigate it properly...or will you just take the alleged bullies word for it when the obvious denial comes and sweep it under the carpet...and do you know what damage that does?
• Are you a GP who is seeing a patient for the Nth time this year with yet another complaint...and will you ask about their work situation and maybe establish the cause of their health problems?
• Or will you be going into work relishing the thought of insulting someone, taking pleasure from their pain, laughing at their distress...and will Ban Bullying Day be the day you finally get caught?

The 27th will see Parliamentary Questions asked in the House of Commons, as well as the launch of the DTI/Amicus Dignity at Work Partnership [DAWP]. In Harrogate, the Annual CIPD Conference will start and have the Andrea Adams Trust there signing employers up to the DAWP. jfo will have two representatives in Harrogate too.

The Telegraph is known to be doing a big article on bullying for publication the day after [28th] and will be in the Business section. The article should include a case study, as well as comments from a range of people and organisations, including jfo.

Support groups exist all around the world for people suffering from workplace abuse and they provide much needed help, advice and support that is rarely available from employers. Two UK groups are known to be taking action for Ban Bullying Day. If you know of any other action taking place for BBD2004, please let jfo know and we will add it to this page. Here's what's happening...

The London Support Group [LSG] are taking to the streets of London!

On 27th october, the LSG will be handing out cards with details with where people can find information. It is estimated that 1 in 5 people are currently being bullied, so they should reach out to many who need help. They will be located at busy train stations catching commuters and local workers in Central London at the rush hour.

The LSG would like to publicise BBD2004, so if you are a journalist or researcher and can get some time/space in local/national media, please contact them urgently on lsg@jfo.org.uk

DAWN Seminar: Exploring Roads to Recovery Following Bullying in the Workplace

In Birmingham, DAWN will be staging their annual seminar to coincide with BBD2004. It will be held on Satuday 16th October in Birmingham city centre and will be an opportunity to share experiences, consider the facilities available, and discuss potential strategies for recovering from the effects of workplace bullying.

Contributors include Linda Foxall from Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS), Julie Fagan from Suspension in the NHS and Paul Marks from Depression Alliance.

Admission is £10 [in advance], £6 unwaged and £12 on the day subject to availability. To apply, please contact Keith Munday, DAWN, PO Box 11435, Birmingham, B32 2WD or e-mail: keith@dignityatworknow.org.uk or telephone: 01564 776748. Alternatively, you can download an application form.

So what will you be doing? Let jfo know!