Almost 3500 workers – representing about 50 per cent of the district’s employees – responded to the NSW public sector employee survey, People Matter 2018.

Twenty-two per cent of ISLHD employees surveyed said they had been subjected to bullying at work in the last 12 months, while 43 per cent said they had witnessed bullying in the workplace.

Of those who said they had been bullied, one third said it had been by a fellow worker at the same level as them; 28 per cent said it was by an immediate manager and 11 per cent by a senior manager. 

Of real concern in the survey, five per cent of the district’s staff said they had been subjected to physical harm and/ or sexual harassment or abuse at work. Of that number, 29 per cent said the source was a person at work; 45 per cent said it was a member of the public.

The annual survey was run statewide across all public sectors in June. It comes after the release of the 2018 Hospital Health Check, where Wollongong Hospital received an F for staff well-being from the junior doctors surveyed.

In that health check, almost 50 per cent of doctors-in-training at Wollongong Hospital claimed to have experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment from another staff member.

On a positive note, the People Matter 2018 survey revealed that three quarters of ISLHD staff said that their job gave them a feeling of personal accomplishment; and 79 per cent said they received help and support from other members of their work group.

Ninety-three percent of respondents were clear on the expectations of their role, and 83 per cent said their work group always strived to achieve customer satisfaction.

However only 38 per cent of staff felt that senior managers listed to staff, and just 40 per cent had confidence in the way the district resolved grievances.

Meantime just over half the staff (53 per cent) agreed that they were paid fairly for their work, and only 37 per cent had confidence in the way recruitment decisions were made.

ISLHD executive director strategic improvement Gerrard Golding said more than $1 million was spent annually on workplace culture and safety initiatives.

A workplace behaviour advisor had been appointed, and around 1600 staff had received training in appropriate workplace communication.

“We have made improvements, but we know that there is still work to do,” he said.

“We know that staff often do not report unacceptable behaviour for a number of reasons. Therefore, we are focused on providing staff with a safe way to report so we can address the behaviour when it occurs.”

Mr Golding said an action plan had been developed to address the key areas identified for improvement in this year’s survey.

“This action plan demonstrates our ongoing commitment to act on staff feedback,” he said.

“Discussions are also occurring within individual sites and services between managers and their teams to further discuss the results and identify solutions to any issues raised.”

Staff also had access to a confidential anti-bullying line and anti-bullying advisors provided by NSW Health, while an employee assistance program was available to all staff.

However NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the union had identified a number of issues that needed to be addressed to reduce workplace bullying across NSW.

“Our public health system is rife with risk factors for bullying: high demand, high stress, multiple management structures and professional intersections and inadequate resourcing to meet the ever increasing needs of the population,” he said.

“Having the right amount of staff is crucial to maintain a healthy workplace and minimise conflict. 

“Increased workloads and inadequate staffing in our public health sector adds considerable pressure to an already overstretched system, which is why it’s important for the NSW Government to implement nurse-to-patient ratios on every shift across the whole system – city and country.”