Conciliatory service Acas has launched a new free online learning course to help employers understand and prevent bullying in the workplace.

The online course shows employers how to recognise and deal with bullying, as well as harassment, and provides good practice advice on the best way to develop clear and accessible policies.

The topics covered include:
* Definitions of bullying and harassment.
* Recognition and prevention.
* How to deal with bullying and harassment.
* The consequences of inaction.

In 2004/05 Acas ran 237 face-to-face training sessions on how to deal with bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Bill Moore, Area Director Acas North East, said: "Bullying and harassment of any kind are in no-one's interest and should not be tolerated yet it continues to be a problem in today's workplace. It increases absenteeism, staff turnover and reduces the quality of work and staff morale. There can be a lot of confusion on how to recognise and deal with the issues. Our new online course can help employers put in place the right procedures to deal with problems promptly."

The course is available from www.acas.org.uk.