HR KNOWLEDGE KATHY CATTON
HR podcasts – a must watch!
Brought to you by HRNZ, these podcasts profile some of New Zealand’s leading HR professionals, speaking on a range of trends and ideas from the world of human resources. Over a dozen topics relating specifically to HR best practice within New Zealand are currently available via the HRNZ website. Kathy Catton reviewed three podcasts focusing on the areas of diversity and inclusion. Elizabeth Berryman: Bullying and harassment and the importance of monitoring mental health in the workplace – watch now! According to recent research, New Zealand is one of the worst places in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for people to experience bullying and harassment in the workplace. Why is this the case? Elizabeth Berryman wants to find the answers. After starting her career as a registered nurse, she went on to study medicine at the University of Otago 16
HUMAN RESOURCES
SUMMER 2020
and is now a qualified psychiatrist and active researcher and expert in e-mental health and psychological risks in the workplace. After a personal experience of being bullied as a doctor, Elizabeth started to ask more and more questions about why this bullying exists and what we can do about it.
Her quest for answers also led Elizabeth to survey all medical students in New Zealand in 2018. Results of this survey showed that 54 per cent of students experienced incidents of bullying, sexual harassment or discrimination within the past year. Seeing these statistics had a significant impact on Liz.
Elizabeth’s answers led her to realise that many people feel disempowered to make any change when they see or experience bullying within an organisation. Often, very little training and support are given to managers on how to deal with bullying.
So, she set up Chnnl: a digital platform providing insights, information and data on employee mental health and wellbeing. Employees answer simple questions daily about how they are feeling. This data is then anonymised, and employers and managers can accurately assess the wellbeing of their workforce as a whole – seeing
