DAWN HANDFORTH

A culture and conduct challenge for boards of directors

As we start the new year, bullying and harassment are once again in the spotlight. This time it’s the release of the “Positive Workplace Culture Review” commissioned by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), which uncovered an insidious bullying culture within that sector. 

Towards the end of last year NZALPA was called on to assist a different group of emergency workers as they struggled to deal with a culture of workplace bullying and harassment at the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT) – a culture that allegedly endured for years. 

While supporting these dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) professionals we learnt that they had contacted the government regulator, Worksafe, asking for their assistance. Worksafe said the alleged bullying and harassment reported to them was serious and that they would discuss it with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is not clear whether any further action was taken by Worksafe on the complaint and no outcome has been reported back to the staff who contacted Worksafe. 

I have no doubt that without NZALPA’s advocacy and medical and welfare support, there would have been a very different outcome and people’s safety would have been at serious risk. However, this got me thinking – Worksafe has said that typically it will only investigate bullying and harassment claims where there is an actual diagnosis of serious mental harm. Between 16 December 2013 and 25 October 2018 this meant Worksafe investigated only 8.9% of the bullying cases reported to them. 

So where does that leave the great majority of workers who report being the target of bullying and harassment at work, suffer anguish, anxiety and stress as a result, but who have to try to soldier on by themselves? What if they don’t have a strong union like NZALPA to provide the critical and ongoing support they need? Where do they go for help? 

According to Worksafe (in a November 2018 report) between 1 in 5 and 1 in 3 New Zealand workers report bullying or harassment annually. But how many instances go unreported – especially if workers perceive the government regulator is not going to investigate their complaint?

Worksafe’s own statistics show that no industry is free from bullying and, from our own experience, the bullying that came to light at ARHT before Christmas does not appear to be an isolated incident in the sector. 

NZALPA has also been approached by other HEMS pilots with similar experiences. This includes pilots who have taken their complaints of bullying to their board only to have them fall on deaf ears and no action taken to address concerns. 

Nor is this issue isolated to just emergency service operators. Over the years, NZALPA has assisted numerous members who have been bullied and harassed across all aviation sectors, and sadly we continue to have to do so. 

It is clear that more needs to be done in this space by industry stakeholders. We need to encourage leaders across all aviation operators to commit to addressing bullying and harassment in their organisations. 

To eliminate this behaviour a zero-tolerance approach must prevail at all levels of the organisation – especially at the governance level.

Boards are ultimately accountable for what goes on in their organisations. The Institute of Directors has identified culture and conduct as one of the top five issues for directors in 2019 and says a good indicator of an effective culture and systems that are working is when the board hears about incidents, including bad news. 

Decisive leadership in following up on incidents and potential risks is critical. From what we saw last year, some boards are sweeping things under the carpet and have a long way to go in addressing this challenge. 

As we await the report of the independent investigation into the bullying at ARHT, NZALPA is working with a group of pilots employed by a different HEMS operator to support them through their specific bullying issues, as well as engaging with the CAA to address these and other safety concerns within the broader helicopter sector.

If you have any concerns about bullying or harassment in your workplace, please do not hesitate to contact NZALPA. You are not alone and we are here to assist you. We can provide you with wrap around services, including legal, advocacy, medical and welfare. With your consent we can also take up your case with your employer and assist you to access other external services. 

Bullying and harassment, particularly in the workplace, are never acceptable.