Dirty Work

Over the past 20 years, our workplaces have changed for the better. The MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter have brought harassment and discriminatory actions to the fore, and our workplaces have generally become less tolerant of bad behaviour. But there’s another highly damaging aspect of workplace culture that often goes unchecked - workplace bullying. As members of the UK political class come under fire for bullying their staff, Matthew Taylor is putting bullying in the spotlight. Matthew Taylor is the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, author of the Taylor Review into Modern Workplace Practices, and has spent many years thinking about creating safer environments for the future of our workforce. Despite his extensive grounding in tackling workplace culture, when he fell victim to poor treatment at work, it took him a long time to realise that what he was experiencing was bullying. Anxiety, self-doubt and isolation meant that he never did anything about it at the time, but it set him on a path of thinking about this prevalent and hidden issue. The pandemic has given many of us a chance to consider what we want from our working lives, and the so-called “Great Resignation” has brought new demands on employers to provide positive, meaningful working environments for their employees. Given the big shifts that are happening in employment, Matthew brings new perspectives and solutions to the table which are aiming to ensure that the future of work is better than the environments many of us work in today. Is bullying an inevitable part of a stressful and high-pressure work environment or is the fundamental way many workplaces are organised and managed a breeding ground for bullying? Matthew examines how work culture and the law could radically change to help prevent it. Presenter: Matthew Taylor Producer: Emma Barnaby Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Rob Speight A Novel production for BBC Radio 4