Anti-bullying policy, Saltpan Hospitality Group
Anti bullying policy template with real examples and a complaints timeline
An anti bullying policy has to define bullying the way the law does, show staff what it looks like in their own workplace, and give them a safe way to report it with a process they can trust. This five page Australian policy for a hospitality group with three venues does that with a definitions table of kitchen and bar examples and an investigation timeline.
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Section by section
What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.
- Cover
- Masthead cover with the group, title, who it is for and the date.
- 1. Commitment and scope
- Three venues, about 260 staff, and every place conduct is covered.
- 2. Definitions, with examples
- Five terms with legal meanings and venue examples, and the single incident callout.
- 3. Responsibilities
- Venue managers, supervisors, all staff, and People and Culture.
- 4. Reporting paths
- Four ways to report and when each suits.
- 5. Investigation
- Five steps with business day timeframes and procedural fairness.
- 6 to 8. Outcomes, support and confidentiality
- Six possible outcomes, counselling and roster changes, and victimisation.
- 9 and 10. Outside help and review
- The Fair Work Commission and state regulator, and the yearly review.
How to adapt this document
First, rewrite the examples column for your workplace; a call centre would name call monitoring used to humiliate, a construction site would name initiation pranks on apprentices. Second, match the reporting paths to your size: a single venue may have only the owner and an external HR adviser, so name both and add an outside contact for when the owner is involved. Third, keep the timeframes, but set them to what your team can actually deliver, because a missed deadline in a bullying complaint is felt as a second wrong.
Which law the terms follow
The definition of bullying comes from Part 6-4B of the Fair Work Act 2009, and the Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying under it. Work health and safety laws, based on the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 in most states, require employers to manage bullying as a risk to health and safety, and Safe Work Australia publishes guidance on doing so. Harassment and discrimination on protected grounds fall under federal and state anti discrimination laws.
What makes this document work
Examples come from the kitchen and the bar
The definitions table pairs each legal term with what it looks like at these venues: swearing at the same commis chef every service, leaving someone off the roster group chat, cutting the hours of a bartender who reported a manager. Staff recognise their own workplace, which is what makes them report.
It says what bullying is not
A row for not bullying lists reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable manner: a private talk about lateness, a fair roster change, a performance plan with clear goals. Managers need that row as much as staff, so they keep managing without fear of every conversation becoming a complaint.
The process has dates
The investigation timeline commits to acknowledgement within 2 business days, interim steps within 5, interviews within 15, findings within 20 and the outcome within 25, and says both people are told if a step slips. A complaint process without dates is the main reason staff go outside instead.
Questions people ask
What is the legal definition of workplace bullying in Australia?
Under the Fair Work Act 2009, a worker is bullied at work when a person or group repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards them, or a group they belong to, and that behaviour creates a risk to health and safety. Reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable manner is not bullying, which is why the policy has a row for it.
Is a single incident bullying?
Not under the legal definition, which needs repeated behaviour. But a single serious incident, such as throwing a pan or a threat, is still misconduct and can be a safety issue. The callout in clause 2 says so, so staff do not wait for a second incident before reporting.
Can a worker go to the Fair Work Commission about bullying?
Yes. A worker who reasonably believes they have been bullied at work can apply to the Commission for an order to stop the bullying, while they are still in the job and where there is a risk it will continue. The Commission cannot order compensation through this process; its orders aim to stop the behaviour.
Do employers have to manage bullying under safety law?
Yes. Work health and safety laws require a business to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety so far as reasonably practicable, and that includes psychological risks such as bullying. That is why clause 10 looks for hazards in how work is organised, such as understaffed shifts, after any finding.
Can staff report anonymously?
Yes, through the confidential form in the reporting paths table. The policy is honest that an anonymous report can limit what an investigation can do, because the person accused must be told what is alleged and given a chance to respond. Anonymous reports still help spot patterns at a venue.
What support is available while a complaint is investigated?
Everyone involved, including the person accused and witnesses, can use six free counselling sessions through the employee assistance program. Managers can approve paid time off for appointments and change rosters so the people involved do not work together while the matter is open.
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