1st Edition

Workplace Bullying and Harassment New Developments in International Law

By Ellen Pinkos Cobb Copyright 2017
    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    Workplace Bullying and Harassment: New Developments in International Law provides a comprehensive tour around the globe, summarizing relevant legislation and key developments in workplace bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, violence, and stress in over 50 countries in Europe, the Asia Pacific region, the Americas region, and the Middle East and Africa. Workplace bullying, harassment, and other psychological workplace hazards are becoming increasingly acknowledged and legislated against in the modern work world. The costs of bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination, and stress at work are huge and far-reaching. Frequently under-reported and misunderstood, workplace bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination, and stress wreak havoc on the vitality and prosperity of organizations and individuals alike.

    Workplace laws have long dealt with physical risks, and psychological risks have begun to be treated similarly. In response to the changing workplace, many countries are regulating workplace bullying and harassment by introducing new legislation or incorporating new provisions into existing legislation to address these risks. Other countries have opted for non-regulatory instruments. Numerous European countries, Canada, Australia, and Japan all prohibit and punish workplace bullying and harassment, with other countries, including the United States of America, moving toward legislation against this abusive workplace conduct.

    This book brings together need-to-know information on global workplace bullying and harassment in one place, the first publication of its kind to do so. It will aid those in the fields of labor and employment, human resources management, occupational and industrial health psychology, health and safety, and workplace regulatory compliance stay abreast of laws and developments that these practitioners must be aware of, whether operating nationally or globally. Academics will also benefit. Links to laws and references are provided, enabling further research.

    Introduction

    Essential Statistics and 2015/2016 update

    Workplace issues defined

    Bullying/mobbing/harassment

    Sexual harassment

    Violence

    Discrimination

    Work-related stress

    European Regions/EU and Neighboring States

    The Asia Pacific Region

    The Americas Regions

    Middle East and Africa Region

    Employer/Union Agreements

    International Instruments

    Worldwide listing of laws

    References

    Biography

    Ellen Pinkos Cobb, J.D. is a Senior Regulatory & Legal Analyst at the Isosceles Group, an Environmental Health and Safety consultancy, in Boston, MA, USA, and a Founding Fellow of the Workplace Bullying Academy. She has years of experience in the employment discrimination field as a neutral fact finder for State and Federal agencies, and has been tracking international laws and developments in workplace bullying, violence, harassment, discrimination, and stress since 2010, publishing work and presenting on these topics. Ellen graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College, USA, and received her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, USA.

    A treasure of information obviously the result painstaking work to benefit all interested in workplace bullying and harassment.

    As an educator, consultant and treatment professional in the field of human rights and workplace bullying this book is a treasure to me in providing the details of legislation in countries around the world. I use it to inform my corporate clients around policy development and law both within my country and in others. I also use it to discuss the wide range of legal responses to bullying and harassment with my individual clients who have experienced bullying and harassment. The detail in the book is amazing and it is written in language that non legal professionals can clearly understand. This book helps anyone understand the significance of bullying and harassment in the workplace and the worldwide response to such severe psycho-social risks. It should provoke legislators in those countries without laws to join the rest of the world in addressing these serious issues ... and it will inform tremendously anyone drafting legislation, codes of practice or developing policy. This book is a must read for anyone tasked with addressing these issues in the workplace, anyone treating those impacted, and all those who want to understand more. 

    Pat Ferris, MSW, RSW, M.Sc., Ph.D. Partner, Janus Associates/Calgary Psychology Group Inc.

    Ellen Pinkos Cobb has created an indispensable resource for legal professionals, mental health practitioners, HR and management, business consultants, and other professionals who navigate difficult workplace issues on a regular basis. The book is informative, well organized, concisely written, and remarkably current. It is clear the author invested countless hours researching legislative developments and thoughtfully articulating international laws pertaining to workplace bullying, harassment, violence, and discrimination. I have an office full of books, and this is one of only three that permanently live on my desk!

    Jessi Brown, Amazon reviewer, June 2, 2017.

    In this exceptional new edition, Ellen Cobb has taken on a tall order: to provide a comprehensive tour around the globe, taking a snapshot of current legislative frameworks related to respect in the workplace matters. The book does a fabulous job at doing just that, and as such has become an invaluable resource to me in my work in the field. This is a book that every professional who is interested in respectful workplace issues should have on their bookshelf as a "bible" to refer to again and again. With the ever-shifting landscape and sensibilities around workplace violence, bullying and harassment, this book is the single place where one can find all the relevant information in one place, organized and comprehensive—what a time saver!

    Sharone Bar-David, Author of Trust Your Canary: Every Leader's Guide to Taming Workplace Incivility

    A must read to expand your understanding of how the new and emerging international laws shift far more responsibility to leaders to protect employees and eliminate this behavior. Leaders, even without the laws, can lift the current burden of proof placed on the employee and set up proactive programs and effective responses. Everyone benefits from redirecting all the wasted financial and human resources into organizational health and productivity. I work with leaders to implement many of the organizational changes found in this book and feel part of a worldwide recognition that so much can be done to stop unnecessary suffering and its costly impact.

    Susan Forster, M.Ed, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CORE Change Work Consulting

    An unrivaled encyclopedic resource on legal approaches to workplace bullying, mobbing and harassment worldwide. For Americans, it is a necessary illuminating read to understand how far behind we are from the Eurocentric perspective that treats human dignity as an inherent human right, not something to be earned. For the detail oriented, all answers are provided. This book is the most valuable tool for lawmakers seeking to benchmark new laws with the best worker protections codified in the world.

    Gary Namie, Director, Workplace Bullying Institute, USA