Psychosocial Hazards – Bullying
Bullying causes serious harm. Learn how to identify and manage bullying risks at work with Foremind.
Bullying is a psychological and physical hazard in itself. Workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety.
Bullying is difficult to identify as it is often done in a way that prevents the perpetrator from being caught, that is why it is critical to have processes in place to make sure that a rogue manager can’t create issues and block things from being reported.
Let’s Look at an Example
Ben is a new apprentice who experiences threats, name-calling, physical harm as part of a “hazing” ritual when he starts his first job. Ben experiences extreme anxiety, unable to sleep and flashbacks causing him to be unable to work.
Types of Bullying At Work
Verbal Abuse
This includes shouting, ridicule, name-calling, or persistent criticism that undermines a worker’s confidence and creates a hostile environment.
Social Exclusion
Bullying can also take the form of isolating someone from team activities, withholding information they need to do their job, or deliberately excluding them from workplace communication.
Cyberbullying
Harassment or intimidation through digital channels such as emails, text messages, or social media can be just as damaging as in-person abuse and is increasingly common in modern workplaces.
Work Sabotage
Some bullies intentionally set workers up to fail — for example, by giving unrealistic deadlines, excessive workloads, or deliberately withholding key resources and support.
Organisational Responsibilities
Under WHS laws, employers have a duty to identify and manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace, including bullying.
This means conducting regular risk assessments to understand potential triggers, such as poor leadership practices, high workloads, or unclear role expectations.
Organisations should also develop and maintain a clear Bullying and Harassment Policy that outlines acceptable behaviour, reporting channels, and consequences for misconduct.
Training plays a crucial role — both leaders and employees need to understand what constitutes bullying, how to respond appropriately, and how to foster a respectful workplace culture.
In addition, employers must ensure there are fair, transparent, and confidential reporting and investigation procedures in place so that workers feel safe coming forward with concerns.
By embedding these measures into everyday practice, organisations not only meet their legal obligations but also create safer, healthier, and more inclusive work environments.
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All counsellors must apply to the role and are interviewed before added to the platform, must meet the criteria as per the below.- We employee counsellors, mental health social workers, mental health nurses and psychotherapists.- Qualifications in Counselling, Psychotherapy or Social Work, minimum Bachelor or Masters qualification- Minimum 3 years direct practice experience post graduation- Registration with appropriate body – PACFA Clinical registration, ACA level 2 minimum, Accredited Mental health Social worker or Clinical Social worker- Broad experience providing individual coaching, counselling and support for personal and work-related issues- How far reaching is your EAP? We have counsellors located in every major city in Australia.
What is the difference between counsellors and psychologists? 1. Qualifications & Training - Counsellor: Typically holds a Diploma or Master’s degree in counselling, or psychotherapy. Their training is focused on practical techniques for supporting mental health and well-being.- Psychologist: Requires a Master’s or Doctorate degree in psychology and must be registered with a AHPRA Their training includes clinical assessments, diagnosis, and therapy.2. Scope of Practice- Counsellor: Provides talk therapy and guidance for life challenges like stress, anxiety, work issues, and relationships. They help clients develop coping strategies but do not diagnose mental disorders.- Psychologist: Can provide therapy like a counsellor but also conducts clinical assessments, diagnoses mental health disorders, and uses evidence-based treatments like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).3. Who Should You See?- If someone needs support for personal or work-related challenges, a counsellor is often enough.- If someone is experiencing mental health concerns, like depression, PTSD, or needs a formal diagnosis, a psychologist is more appropriate.
- Counsellors only offer f2f after the initial consult.- At Foremind, all face-to-face sessions must begin with an initial online session.- The initial online session gives your counsellor the opportunity to explain exactly how their face-to-face sessions work, what options are available, and to ensure everything is properly scheduled. This helps avoid confusion and makes sure you get the best experience possible.- For sales team info; @Dylan This is because our system currently doesn't allow therapists to list separate locations and availability for face-to-face sessions, and many of our counsellors offer in-person appointments only at specific times or locations.- For example, Skai near Byron Bay provides face-to-face sessions, but only on Thursdays and with enough advance notice to arrange space and travel.- F2F sessions also need a bigger time-buffer between so they cannot be booked back-to-back.- Availability for space -- First session is counted + information to book in counselling to allow make- F2f take 3 sessions to break through pleasing tendencies - therapeutic alliance - online