Bullying in the Workplace Training
Practical workplace bullying training covering warning signs, power and behaviour patterns, prevention, reporting, complaints and respectful workplace culture.
Practical workplace bullying training covering warning signs, power and behaviour patterns, prevention, reporting, complaints and respectful workplace culture.
Workplace bullying can damage confidence, wellbeing, working relationships, morale and retention. This practical course helps staff and managers recognise what bullying can look like, understand how power, workplace culture and patterns of behaviour can contribute to it, and respond appropriately when concerns arise. Delegates explore intimidation, undermining, humiliation, exclusion and other behaviours that may be described as bullying, while learning to distinguish them from reasonable management action, constructive feedback, workplace conflict and Equality Act harassment. Through realistic scenarios and practical discussion, the course strengthens confidence in prevention, early intervention, reporting and fair responses, helping organisations create workplaces where dignity, respect and psychological safety are actively supported.
Organisations do not always use the same language when workplace relationships begin to break down. A concern may initially be described as bullying, intimidation, undermining, inappropriate behaviour, unacceptable conduct, exclusion, disrespectful behaviour, harassment or simply a difficult workplace relationship. Understanding what is actually happening is an important first step towards responding fairly and effectively.
Bullying may involve repeated intimidation, humiliation, undermining, exclusion, misuse of power or behaviour that makes it difficult for somebody to work safely and effectively. It can be overt or subtle and may develop gradually, particularly where poor behaviour has become normalised or people do not feel confident speaking up.
At the same time, not every difficult interaction is bullying. Reasonable instructions, appropriately conducted performance management, constructive feedback and ordinary differences of opinion should not automatically be labelled as bullying simply because they are uncomfortable. This course helps delegates examine behaviour, context, impact and patterns rather than relying on labels alone.
An employee says they are being bullied after receiving repeated feedback about performance and being asked to meet clearer standards.
A colleague is regularly interrupted, excluded from conversations and meetings, and has their contribution dismissed in front of others.
An employee reports intimidating and offensive behaviour and describes what has happened as both bullying and harassment.
The words used to describe workplace behaviour matter, particularly when organisations are deciding how a concern should be addressed. Bullying is commonly used to describe intimidating, humiliating, undermining or otherwise unreasonable behaviour, but there is no single specific law in the UK that makes workplace bullying itself unlawful. Depending on the circumstances, however, bullying behaviour may engage other legal duties or amount to unlawful discrimination or harassment.
Harassment under the Equality Act 2010 has a particular legal meaning and should not be used as a synonym for every upsetting, disrespectful or difficult workplace interaction. Similarly, disagreement or conflict between colleagues does not automatically amount to bullying. Delegates therefore learn to look beyond labels and consider what happened, whether there is a pattern, the context in which behaviour occurred, its impact, the role of power or hierarchy and the appropriate organisational response.
This distinction helps organisations take concerns seriously without prematurely deciding what they should be called. It supports fairer conversations, more proportionate responses and a workplace culture in which people can raise concerns without fear of being dismissed, blamed or subjected to retaliation.
Explore what workplace bullying can look like, including intimidation, humiliation, undermining, exclusion, misuse of power and patterns of behaviour that affect dignity, confidence or a person's ability to work effectively.
Examine the importance of context, hierarchy, workplace culture and power. Consider why behaviour may be experienced differently and why some employees can find it particularly difficult to challenge behaviour or raise concerns.
Distinguish bullying from reasonable management action, appropriately delivered feedback, performance conversations, ordinary disagreement and workplace conflict, while understanding where bullying and Equality Act harassment may overlap.
Consider warning signs, barriers to speaking up and practical steps that managers, colleagues and organisations can take to challenge harmful patterns early and strengthen respectful workplace expectations.
Explore reporting routes and the principles of receiving concerns fairly, including confidentiality, impartiality, appropriate support and avoiding assumptions before the circumstances have been properly considered.
Identify the role of leadership, workplace expectations, accountability and organisational culture in preventing bullying and creating environments where dignity, respect and psychological safety are actively supported.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
This course is suitable for organisations seeking to prevent workplace bullying, strengthen understanding across teams or improve confidence in recognising and responding to concerns. It is particularly relevant for:
Where an organisation requires confidential, tailored development for an individual following a complaint, allegation or identified workplace behaviour concern, our one-to-one workplace behaviour training provides a more appropriate intervention.
Participants leave better able to recognise workplace bullying, avoid common misunderstandings and respond to concerns with greater confidence and fairness. The course provides a shared language for discussing behaviour without prematurely labelling individuals or dismissing genuine concerns.
Organisations benefit from increased awareness of early warning signs, clearer understanding of reporting and response principles and greater confidence in distinguishing bullying from conflict, reasonable management action and Equality Act harassment. This supports earlier intervention, fairer workplace practice and a culture in which dignity, respect and psychological safety are actively promoted.
Workplace concerns are described in many different ways. Choose the course that most closely reflects the issue you want to address.
Choose this course when the priority is recognising, preventing and responding to bullying, intimidation, undermining, exclusion or misuse of power.
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Choose this course when managers or staff need practical skills to address inappropriate, unacceptable or difficult behaviour early and prevent escalation.
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Choose this course when detailed understanding of Equality Act discrimination, harassment, victimisation and protected characteristics is required.
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Choose this course when the priority is workplace humour, joking, teasing, boundaries, inclusion and understanding when banter may cross a line.
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Choose this service when an individual requires tailored learning and development following an allegation, complaint, organisational process or identified concern about their workplace behaviour.
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All our courses are tailored to ensure the training reflects your organisation’s goals and priorities. Whether you need a single session for one team or a programme of sessions across a larger workforce, we can develop a delivery approach that works for your organisation.
The course can be delivered face-to-face or online via Zoom or Teams.
To support participation, discussion and interaction, we recommend the following group sizes per session:
Need to train a larger workforce? No problem. We regularly work with organisations that need to train larger numbers of employees. Where appropriate, training can be delivered across multiple sessions to ensure everyone receives the same high-quality, interactive learning experience. We can develop a delivery programme to suit your workforce size, locations and timescales.
We can also adapt group size, session format and delivery arrangements to support accessibility, reasonable adjustments and specific organisational requirements.
Please note: the half-day rate is not always available for face-to-face sessions.
Over 25 years' experience delivering equality, diversity and inclusion training, consultancy and professional development.
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