'Bullying forced me to retire'

Workplace bullying is on the increase with nearly 80% of human resources departments saying it exists in their firm, according to a new survey.

Anti-bullying charity the Andrea Adams Trust and Personnel magazine interviewed over 1000 Human Resource staff workers for the study.

Former midwife Ruth Johnston, 66, says she was bullied by her boss and eventually forced to retire due to post traumatic stress.

She told BBC News Online the trouble started after staff wrote a letter about shortages to the hospital's chief executive, at her suggestion:

My boss rather had egg on her face, she felt it was a personal attack and blamed me.

She rang me at home and demanded I go and see her straight away because she wanted to change my management duties.

She sent a note to all the departments saying she was changing my role and I was going to be back in uniform again - all of this without discussing it with me.

It turned out I was doing my own work - having to take it home - as well as standing on the ward.

So I called the Royal College of Midwives and they felt that it wasn't on and went to see my boss.

She said: 'If you feel so strongly about it don't wear your uniform'.

'Personality clash'

So that was what really started her aggression - because I'd called in the Royal College of Midwives and she had been made to look silly in front of the chief executive.

Until then I'd been on my own in my office but she put a secretary in my office and said there would be no room for my desk. Luckily, my secretary found another desk which fitted.

Another time during my annual appraisal I asked if I could do training and was told because of my age it wouldn't be worth the money.

I got tired out and was signed off for 6 months because of stress. When I came back the situation deteriorated further and I went with the Royal College of Midwives to see the director of personnel with my boss.

She said: 'We'll try and give you a new job liaising with GPs, primary carers and hospitals and you can train one of the ward managers to help you with management duties.'

It turned out to basically be a district midwife role on a lower level than what I'd been doing.

Grievance procedure

I went to the Royal College of Midwives and the director of personnel and said it wasn't at all what we'd discussed and that I was taking harassment procedures against my boss.

The internal grievance procedure took over a year.

Although they said my boss's management style wasn't good that was going to be monitored by the director of personnel, who really didn't accept I had a problem.

And because I hadn't called staff in as witnesses - because I didn't want them to be harassed afterwards - I lost the internal hearing and that was when I consulted the Andrea Adams Trust.

Lyn Witheridge, the chief executive, said we'll help you with legal advice so I took it to the industry tribunal claiming constructive dismissal because I had post traumatic stress disorder and it was recommended I take ill health retirement.

Tribunal

The tribunal felt I had been bullied, they criticised the hospital's management but because I hadn't resigned at the first incident it looked as if I was condoning the behaviour.

But it was a catch 22 situation because if I had resigned I wouldn't have had grounds for the case.

I was granted leave to appeal and given a hearing date and the hospital asked if they could settle out of court.

All I wanted was an apology - I didn't want a lot of money because it was patient care money which would be used.

So, I accepted a settlement which would cover my legal costs.

I never had anybody say 'sorry'.

You need someone to believe in you and say: "Look this isn't you, this is not your fault, you're being bullied."