- Q: Have you encountered incidents of bullying in your workplace?
'I hear stories from other nurseries about bitchiness and bullying, particularly between the younger women on the staff. We also find that people who have come from bigger nurseries, such as chains, have encountered prejudice or feel they've been treated unfairly because they are new or young - which is sad.'
'I'm sure bullying exists and there have been one or two formal complaints that I've had to deal with.'
'Bullying does go on but as the manager I don't always know about it. Generally we are very open and if someone has a problem then we'll deal with it quickly.'
'Years ago we had a younger person who did not get on with a maturer lady. The young person kept falling out over issues in the room and I had to step in and give her a room change. It was all very silly, as events turned out. A couple of months later the young woman actually said that she missed working with the older woman.'
'Bullying is certainly a problem in nursery settings, but thankfully not here. A lot of the staff have been here for 20 years, there is a low staff turnover and we all get on really well.'
'Staff have commented that they have felt intimidated when working at other nurseries, especially younger staff who have been told what to do, rather than asked, and have taken it as a veiled threat - implying that 'you will do this'. This is a form of bullying. Some staff find it hard to discover their voice and say no to doing something which is not their job.'
'There can also be jealousy in the setting when someone comes in with a higher qualification and that can lead to rivalry.'
- Q: What do you regard as bullying?
'It can be a perception thing. I once had to deal with an issue where a staff member genuinely believed she was being victimised. We investigated it thoroughly and found that she was not actually receiving treatment different from any others. The senior staff member did speak inappropriately at times but not just to her. It was how she dealt with everyone - it was not a bullying incident.'
'Bullying can be anything in a spectrum, from name-calling and poking fun at someone, to undermining their professional abilities.'
'Anything that makes a staff member uncomfortable or unhappy at work can be seen as bullying.'
'There can be a fine line between what is seen as banter, or just an incident of two people falling out, to what is classed as bullying. It's hard to distinguish.'
'One member of staff had problems at a previous nursery over qualifications, with other staff saying they were better than her. Rather than actual bullying, I think it was women being together and being immature. But the instigator left the nursery in the end.'
- Q: Do you think there is a risk of more bullying in a nursery environment because the staff team is predominantly female?
'Cliques do form, but that happens in any job. Certain people get on with one another and others don't. But we work hard to make sure this doesn't turn into nastiness or bullying.'
'Women working together can be quite volatile on occasion.'
'Inevitably an element of bitching goes on, it happens in all nurseries - and many other workplaces too.'
'I think there is more nastiness in male-dominated professions, where there is a lot of testosterone.'
'Childcare is a job predominantly done by women and can cause bitchy comments; that happens a lot.'
'Often, one or two people create a problem in a group. If people are not straight with each other, it can lead to talking behind each other's backs.'
- Q: How do you deal with incidents of staff bullying?
'If we have silly tit-for-tat arguments we discuss them at the next staff meeting. Staff will go on record and after three hits they will then be put on disciplinary, but this is rare.'
'We make it known that it is important to communicate and express your feelings, rather than let situations build up. People should also think about the way they express themselves and phrase comments, because others can take them the wrong way.'
'The girls all get on very well here. We have plenty of team-building events and make sure that everyone is treated the same, with good inductions. Staff know they can talk to myself or my deputy if there is an issue and it will be dealt with confidentially and tactfully.'
'We have a policy on workplace bullying. It is tough and if anyone acts out of line it gets stamped on.'
To have your say, visit Nursery World's discussion forums at www.nurseryworld.co.uk.
