There must be no hiding place for bullies in the ambulance service

There should soon be no hiding place for anyone who bullies their staff, or colleagues, at the South Western Ambulance Service (SWAS), following the publication today (Thursday) of an independent report, says UNISON. The report, based on a staff survey and interviews conducted by Professor Duncan Lewis, was jointly commissioned by UNISON and the ambulance trust. It follows a succession of serious complaints and grievances about the behaviour of managers and other employees at the ambulance service, says UNISON. Concerned that directors at the trust appeared to be ignoring or dismissing incidents of bullying, harassment and intimidation raised by staff, UNISON persuaded the trust directors to commission the report from the Plymouth University Business School. The report found no evidence of a culture of bullying across the service, but said there were definite problem hotspots. A third of the staff had witnessed bullying, mostly of their colleagues, but of managers in some cases too. As many as two-thirds reported some degree of friction or anger between colleagues, and up to three-quarters that relationships at work were strained. Some complained of feeling intimidated in the workplace by behaviour of a sexual nature, citing intimate conversations, the viewing of pornography, and the play-acting of sexual acts. Commenting on the report, UNISON SWAS branch secretary Chris Nelson said: “For too long the culture within areas of the ambulance service has been all wrong. The i...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Press release alan lofthouse ambulance Source Type: news