Employers can face legal action for bullying under a wide range of laws; criminal, OHS, anti discrimination and workers compensation as well as personal injury liability and breach of contract.

What is workplace bullying?
The concept of workplace bullying, as viewed by WorkCover and other authorities, is not just about recklessness, aggressive or violent physical acts or verbal abuse. It may be anything from a customer demanding faster service or just complaining (even over the phone) to armed hold up and murder.

Some states in Australia have statutory definitions of bullying in place, in NSW the term is used to include violence (chargeable with assault under criminal law) through to setting unrealistic work targets, undervaluing people at work or ignoring employees or their point of view (NSW Department of Industrial Relations).

Employers are clearly in the firing line, with managers and supervisors being presented as the main perpetrators of bullying. Queensland Government Guides, for example describe "covert" bullying as sabotaging an employee's work by withholding information, hiding documents or equipment so they can't complete tasks and not providing appropriate resources or training. The Victorian WorkCover Authority's Issues Paper links workplace violence or bullying with management style and supervision, job design, consultation processes, performance expectations, and workplace layout, amongst other factors.