Seamus:  Well, the big mistake is the denial and the ignoring of it and employers not investigating complaints whenever they're raised. The onus, as we said earlier, and the sort of legislative onus is on the employer to take these allegations seriously and to make sure that they are investigated. Sometimes there can be a brushing it under the carpet.  

And we do talk at times around grievances and resolving grievances informally, bringing the parties in at an early stage, trying to resolve it, but that's not always the appropriate way to deal with matters.  

And certainly, whenever you're coming to dignity at work, bullying and harassment, it tends to sit on a different level as to what you would for maybe run-of-the-mill grievances around disputes within work between two colleagues.  

So there should be a proper investigation, and that will include meeting with all and any possible witnesses that were present at the time that the allegations arose.

Know your dignity and harassment policies. Be clear about what those are.  

The concerns need to be reported promptly, and the investigation needs to take place promptly, with fresh minds and fresh eyes on events. And there should be an absolute avoidance for punishing anybody that is speaking out or trying to have issues addressed.  

Key thing is always that there needs to be a proper report and records kept of the investigation. And you made that point well earlier on, that even if the person doesn't want to engage, there still is an onus to investigate, and you would still be keeping a record of the investigations that have been undertaken and what those outcomes from the investigation might be. 

And then I think it's also really important to ensure that there is support that is provided, and that the support given is respectful and that it's confidential.  

Particularly, a lot of victims of these issues feel embarrassed and they don't want attention drawn to it. They may still require the employer to investigate and to get an outcome in relation to it, but they want it done confidentially and respectfully. They don't want to have to continue to come into work and feel embarrassed or feel on edge or a fear of reprisal from other colleagues.  

That can happen, too. And you sometimes get a split in the camp where you'll have one group following and supporting one person, and the rest doing the other.  

So there needs to be just that careful balance, and you maybe need to look at your aspects around having the employee in work and having those supports in place, and if needs be, referrals to occupational health and any of those sorts of ancillary services that you might be in a position to provide also.

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