Zero Tolerance for Abusive Behaviour in the General Practice Workplace

General Practice Registrars Australia’s Wellbeing Subcommittee worked to identify ways to encourage zero tolerance for abusive and intimidating behaviour in the general practice workplace.

The latest development from the subcommittee is the production of a clear and direct ‘no tolerance’ poster that can be displayed in a practice or consulting room.
“We as a subcommittee felt there was more we could do to raise awareness in regards to harassment in the workplace. "Several quite concerning events had been reported this year, and we felt there was a need to act fast to prevent further occurrences. "We acknowledged the lack of advertising in regards to our zero tolerance to harassment stance, and from this realisation the ‘no tolerance’ poster was developed,” Dr Cassandra Wys, Chair of the Wellbeing Subcommittee explained.
“The aim of this poster is to raise awareness to the general public that we as doctors will not tolerate any aberrant behaviour. "The poster needed to be bold, direct, and easily understood so that our audience had full understanding of our zero tolerance policy,” she continued.
A recent survey produced by the Medical Journal of Australia suggests that in particular, female General Practitioners (GPs) working in Australia are likely to experience sexual harassment by patients during their career.
“The findings are alarming and, to be honest, unacceptable. "We deserve to feel safe, and work in an environment that is free of any type of harassment. "I think this article really made us stand up and take notice, and realise that something needed to be done now,” Dr Wys said.
The poster is a visual reminder to both colleagues and patients that violence, intimidation, threats, and sexual behaviour are not acceptable in the workplace.
“Some people may not recognise that their behaviour is actually considered harassment unless it is clearly pointed out, and with this poster in our waiting rooms we hope that there is increased awareness of these issues amongst staff and patients alike,” Dr Wys noted.
The posters will be distributed to registrars across Australia. “We as the GP registrar Wellbeing Subcommittee have a huge task on our hands - reducing, if not eradicating, harassment of all types within our workplace. This poster is hopefully the first step of many in helping us achieve this goal,” Dr Wys concluded.
“Apart from the ‘no tolerance’ poster, GPRA through its Wellbeing Subcommittee will be developing resources and webinars to enhance GP registrar knowledge and training in this area. GPRA continues to be committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of trainees through these initiatives,” concluded Dr Edward Vergara, Chair of GPRA.
If you wish to report workplace related violence please contact crimestoppers.