Businesses in Sedgemoor will soon be able to benefit from free workplace bullying and conflict resolution workshops, thanks to Taunton-based charity Stand Against Violence and funding from Somerset’s Hinkley Point C power station project.
The workshops have been specially developed to tackle problems that have become prevalent throughout UK businesses. Hannah Palmer, lead training facilitator at Stand Against Violence, said: ‘Workplace bullying affects all sectors at all levels of seniority in organisations throughout the UK and is far more common than most people think. 
“In many situations, bullying is so embedded in the corporate culture, that workers struggle even to identify what counts as unacceptable behaviour. At the same time, most of us lack the very skills we need to deal with aggressive or violent behaviour.”
The workshops, which are scheduled to take place at the Mercure Bridgwater hotel on 16 January and 11 February, will be divided into two sessions. The first will focus on conflict resolution, from understanding the types of behaviour that represent conflict, to learning skills that will help to de-escalate and prevent aggressive situations.
The second session will look specifically at workplace bullying awareness and prevention. It considers the various forms workplace bullying can take, the impact it has on its direct victims, as well as the destructive effect of bullying cultures on businesses overall. Participants in the course will also learn how to manage a potential bullying situation, and take preventative steps both for themselves and their colleagues.
The workshops are funded by the Hinkley Point C power station project, as part of a diverse social responsibility initiative being implemented throughout the region. They also mark Stand Against Violence’s official entry into the corporate training market. It is an area where the charity’s CEO, Adam Fouracre, sees an urgent role for third sector organisations with non-violence and anti-bullying expertise:
“HPC’s generous funding of this project comes as we launch SAV Business Training, which aims to tackle one of the UK’s most prevalent forms of violence and bullying in our society — one which has devastating effects on individuals and can really impact on the productivity of businesses too.”
Stand Against Violence’s new business training division builds on over a decade of delivering anti-bullying and non-violence workshops to schools, colleges, young offenders institutions and even football clubs, reaching over 18,000 young people across England and Wales every year.
Free places for the sessions at the Mercure Bridgwater hotel on 16th January and 11th February are strictly limited. To book your place online, go to www.savevents.co.uk
For more information on SAV Business Training, contact Dave Cheeseman at d.cheeseman@sav-ed.co.uk.
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