Jen: Ok Carmel sets high standards but what is wrong with that? Ingrid just needs to pull up her socks and get to work and stop worrying about Carmel. I really don’t think that Carmel has been bullying Ingrid, I haven’t seen her yell at her or anything like that;

isn’t that bullying?

Ross: Really Ingrid is just too sensitive. Carmel does a great job and helps out around the place a lot. She really seems to fit in nicely.

If Ingrid has a problem with that then maybe she should not come back to Triple A.

Kate: Ingrid has had a difficult time lately. I know everybody around here seems to think that Carmel is great, and she is as long as she likes you. I have been lucky and she seems to like me but I have noticed how she bosses Ingrid around. I tried talking to Ingrid on the side but she said that it was okay and that it would work out. Well it hasn’t. I cannot say for sure if Carmel has been bullying Ingrid as I don’t know what has been happening but I have worked with Ingrid for a long time and it is not like her to make mistakes such as the ones that were in the report.

Paul: As Ingrid’s boss I take her accusations of bullying seriously, but Ingrid didn’t want to have a mediation session to try and get back to a working relationship. When I talked to Carmel about it she didn’t seem to know what Ingrid was talking about. It is hard to know which way to go with this type of stuff, in a way you are dammed if you do something and dammed if you do nothing.

Question

1 Imagine you are a HR professional employed by this organization. You have been asked to provide a development programme for staff (in relation to the above scenario).
a Where would you start?
b What are the main issues you need to clarify before getting started?
c Indicate the aims of such a programme and outline the most important elements that need to be addressed within the programme.
d How would you evaluate such a programme?