Australia Model Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work B1: Appendix B: Identify when, where and why harmful behaviours arise

Harmful behaviours are violence and aggression, bullying, harassment including sexual or gender-based harassment, and conflict or poor workplace relationships, which harm those targeted and those who witness them. Subtle forms such as crude language, sexist remarks and an intimidating culture are harder to see. Risk is higher with low worker diversity, new, young, casual or minority workers, and a culture that tolerates harmful behaviour, and workers may be more affected or less likely to report because of sex, gender, sexuality, age, migration status, disability or literacy, with risk rising with multiple forms of discrimination. Behaviours come from external sources (customers, clients, patients, other businesses) and internal ones (workers, supervisors, managers) and can be an inappropriate response to other hazards such as high demand or poor support, so the underlying causes must be controlled as well. Specific risk factors: for violence, distressed or unwell clients, enforcement, high crime areas, cash or medicines, poor visibility, restricted movement, lone or remote work, community work, unpredictable settings and frustrating service policies or low staffing; for bullying, other hazards, autocratic, absent or abusive leadership and poor systems of work; for harassment, tolerated crude behaviour, power imbalances, strict hierarchies, alcohol at work events, isolation, working from home and customer contact; for conflict, tolerated rudeness and no process for unacceptable behaviour.