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BULLYING IS NOT COOL!  WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE TO BULLYING.

Cyberbullying

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Cyberbullying involves using technology such as mobile phones and the Internet to bully or harass another person. In Australia, 10-20% of children and young people have been cyberbullied (Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, 2011).

Cyberbullying can take many forms:

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  • Sending mean messages or threats to a person's email account or mobile phone

  • Spreading rumors online or through texts

  • Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages

  • Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send damaging messages

  • Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person

  • Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through mobile phones or the Internet

  • Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person

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For more information, see Robinson (2012).

What is bullying

 

A worker is bullied at work if:

  • a person or group of people repeatedly act unreasonably towards them or a group of workers

  • the behaviour creates a risk to health and safety.

Unreasonable behaviour includes victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening. Whether a behaviour is unreasonable can depend on whether a reasonable person might see the behaviour as unreasonable in the circumstances.

 

Examples of bullying include:

  • behaving aggressively

  • teasing or practical jokes

  • pressuring someone to behave inappropriately

  • excluding someone from work-related events or

  • unreasonable work demands.

 

What isn't bullying

 

A manager can make decisions about poor performance, take disciplinary action, and direct and control the way work is carried out. Reasonable management action that’s carried out in a reasonable way is not bullying.

Management action that isn't carried out in a reasonable way may be considered bullying.

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This information can be found at www.fairwork.gov.au

Bully's Behaviour

 

  • appears motivated by a strong personal desire to control others and may feel empowered to bully when peer bystanders appear to support their behaviour;

  • doesn't appear to care about fairness or another person's feelings; and

  • has usually experienced abuse or neglect (Rigby, 2011).

 

The Bullied Victim's Behaviour:

 

  • might experience depression, anger, anxiety and/or impulsivity (Haynie et al., 2001; Holt & Espelage, 2007; Swearer et al., 2001);

  • shows more negative affect and poorer self-regulation than bullies (Haynie et al., 2001; Toblin et al., 2005);

  • engages in more illegal or problematic behaviours (e.g., carrying a weapon, using alcohol, using illegal drugs, fighting, lying to parents, staying out past curfew) than pure bullies (Haynie et al., 2001; Stein et al., 2007);

  • shows lower levels of remorse when committing antisocial acts than pure bullies (Fanti et al., 2009);

  • may show more deficits in problem solving, engage in external blaming, and endorse more aggressive actions (see Box 2; O'Brennan, Bradshaw, & Sawyer, 200; Cassidy & Taylor, 2005; Haynie et al., 2001); and

  • demonstrates attitudes supportive of retaliatory behaviour (O'Brennan et al., 2009).

 

https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/children-who-bully-school/understanding-school-bullying

 

© 2013 by Wellness Program LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH AND SHINE .

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