BAPIO BIHR NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Happy New Year 2022!

We have great pleasure in inviting you to join us in this consensus building conference for the ratification of the draft 'Dignity in the Workplace Standards' for the healthcare sector and planning its implementation. Due to the current COVID pandemic situation, we have had to make a decision to change from the initially planned face-to-face conference at Keele University to a virtual online meeting.

The healthcare sector experience and report some of the highest levels of bullying and harassment which has a direct impact on patient care and wellbeing of staff. It is estimated to cost the health sector up to £14 billion per year and the experiences of staff with protected characteristics and those in the ethnic minority groups appears to be consistently higher. There are policies in the NHS and other healthcare sector organisations that proclaim zero tolerance to such behaviours, yet, such behaviours continue to persist. There are organisations that have taken a more proactive and positive approach to promoting dignity in the workplace, rather than a reactionary one. This approach to reinforcing a positive culture also works well in the same organisations which promote diversity and inclusion of their entire workforce.

We are working on a set of consensus standards to be adopted by healthcare stakeholders to set a proactive and positive aspiration for promoting dignity in the workplace. We will be developing and showcasing evidence-based organisational interventions that may help eradicate bullying and harassment in the healthcare sector and promote a safer, happier, and healthier workplace. We are inviting you to play a pivotal role in this consensus conference and help build robust and meaningful standards. We believe that this initiative can only succeed with a collaborative approach between grassroots organisations, institutional stakeholders, and regulatory authorities. All three key stakeholder groups will be represented.