| Survey reveals bullying fear
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Issue: 09/11/2018
A survey has revealed that a culture of bullying exists within the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
The Unite union survey indicates that there is a lack of confidence amongst RSPCA staff and the management are having difficulty dealing with the issue.
In the report 29 percent of staff at the organisation say they have been bullied in the previous year with 37 percent saying they had witnessed bullying. By comparison 20 percent of NHS staff say they have been bullied.
Nearly half of staff say they saw bullying as a serious or a very serious problem and senior managers were identified as the source of the bullying.
Recently the Charity Commission gave the welfare charity an official warning over the large payout it gave to outgoing chief executive (CEO). The organisation has had three CEO's in five years.
A report by BBC TV's Panorama programme in 2017 investigated the RSPCA and said that it was 'not fit for purpose.'
The Charity Commission had told the welfare charity that it had to improve its governance with 'necessary urgency' or face 'regulatory action.'
Stress
Amongst the reasons cited by staff for bullying at the organisation are poor managers, staff shortages, stressed managers and the workplace culture.
The fear amongst some staff of speaking out was making matters worse, it was reported. As a result 30 percent of staff felt that bullying was tolerated and part of the culture and over half had no confidence that the charity would deal fairly with issues of bullying and harassment.
It was felt by 41 percent of employees that senior management would take no action on bullying and however bad the case the bully always remained in post.
Staff say that they have been exposed to 'negative behaviours' such as unmanageable workloads, having opinions and views ignored, being given unreasonable deadlines, someone withholding information affecting the staff member's performance and being required to do work below their level of competence.
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said, 'As the new chief executive of the society, I am deeply troubled by the findings and take them extremely seriously.
'There is absolutely no place for bullying of any nature within the RSPCA. The wellbeing of our employees and volunteers is of utmost importance to us because, without their passion and commitment, we will not be able to deliver our goal of creating a world that is kinder to animals.'
He added that the charity would be training managers and would shortly launch a wellbeing action group 'which will work with Unite to review all relevant policies and explore fresh ways to ensure that anyone can raise a concern and access support.
'I am determined that the RSPCA will be a rewarding, compassionate and empowering environment in which to work and volunteer.'
Welcomed
Unite welcomed Mr Sherwood's commitment to tackle the culture of bullying and harassment that appears to have become endemic.
Unite national officer for the charity and voluntary sector Siobhan Endean said, 'Unite welcomes Chris Sherwood's commitment to tackle the culture of bullying and harassment which is deeply ingrained in the RSPCA's culture.
'It is essential that the commitment to work with Unite to develop a long-term dignity at work strategy is fully undertaken as this is essential to tackle the problems exposed by the workforce.'
