Stop Bullying at University of Newcastle (Oz): December 2015

Bullying at the University of Newcastle (Australia)

We are working to highlight and stop academic workplace bullying at the University of Newcastle, Australia. We are a group of staff and students who have been bullied for speaking out about misconduct.

Help make a difference –

*answer our survey,

*contribute to the blog, or

*contact us.

This will help us gather as much information as possible so that we can put an end to this bullying with its’ decades-long history.

“Systemic bullying, hazing and abuse generally are identified with poor, weak or toxic organizational cultures. Cultures that are toxic have stated ethical values that are espoused but not employed, and other non-ethical values which are operational, dominant, but unstated.

Such cultures thrive when good people are silent, silenced, or pushed out; when bad apples are vocal, retained, promoted, and empowered; and when the neutral majority remain silent in order to survive. Those who are most successful in such a toxic culture are those who have adapted to it, or adopted it as their own”. (McKay, Arnold, Fratzl & Thomas, 2008)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

University of Newcastle shamed yet again - this time by the police force

A former senior constable appeared on The 7.30 report (ABC) last night to talk about the bullying and harassment she suffered in the police force.

She said "she was shunned by many co-workers, one of whom spread false rumours about her having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and warned others not to touch her belongings.
"I had left my wallet at work and I had a person go into the station to collect it," she said.
"In the foyer of the station, the bullying member said that I had four-five sexual partners on the go and that I potentially had STDs and that she would not go and get the wallet personally because she didn't know what she would catch."
She also claims the individual offered to another person to "taser, baton or shoot" Ms Lewis".

She also said
"It's really hard to set up a new life.
"I've lost everything as a consequence of this workplace bullying."

Her account of bullying is eerily similar to the descriptions of bullying described in a survey by students and staff at the University of Newcastle.

In a submission to the Parliamentary Workplace Bullying Inquiry, student and staff at the University of Newcastle have described the bullying that they suffered. The most commonly experienced bullying behaviours were "opinions and views ignored, treated unfairly compared to others, being humiliated, undervalued or ridiculed, and exclusion and ostracism. "

"The least commonly occurring behaviours were actual physical violence (4%) and injury as a result of violence (6%); nonetheless this means that 8 and 12 individuals respectively experienced physical violence and/or incurred an injury as a result of violence."

Many respondents commented on how they had been publicly ridiculed and humiliated e.g. student’s work described as “garbage”, employees told that they were “hate(d)” by their managers or that the manager “liked tormenting me”. Homophobic comments about students were made by bullies in front of other students. "

Nicki Lewis, the police constable, added that she had considered committing suicide.

Similarly, respondents to our survey stated that the bullying behaviour had made 45 of them consider or attempt suicide. They also reported suffering from depression, sleep problems, anxiety disorders, etc.

Nicki Lewis is one person who has come forward to share her experiences - the police have conducted an investigation into the bullying that female police have experienced.

What about the University of Newcastle? No, it continues to ride high in the rankings of NOT INVESTIGATING THE BULLYING, HARASSMENT AND OSTRACISM that takes, and has taken, place at that institution.

The University of Newcastle World Rankings: Number 1 in the world for ostrich-like behaviour regarding bullying and harassment.

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