UK (University of Manchester) Addressing workplace bullying and harassment: Building systems & competences for formal intervention

Professor Helge Hoel has developed a methodology known as ‘Faktaundersøkelse’ (‘investigation of facts’) to resolve workplace bullying allegations fairly and rigorously. Within the Norwegian Armed Forces, large European construction firms, and Scandinavian local and regional authorities, more than 1,000 managers have implemented the procedures in their workplaces, such that 200,000 employees are now protected. Impacts as a result of the implementation include: a radically enhanced competency within workplaces to deal with bullying and harassment allegations; an improvement in the stringency and formality of anti-bullying investigations resulting in more equitable outcomes; an improvement in employee and workplace wellbeing; and the development of workplace anti-bullying policies leading to cultural change. Norwegian magistrate and county courts now recognise the Faktaundersøkelse approach as a vital procedural tool for resolving disputes.