An anti-bullying policy has been agreed for the public health services.
It identifies bullying as "persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behaviour, abuse of power or unfair penal sanctions" which make the recipient feel "upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable".
Bullying has been identified as a major problem in the nursing profession and was one of the underlying causes of unrest in the nurses' dispute.
The new document, An Anti- Bullying Policy for the Health Services", has been devised jointly by the Health Service Employers' Agency, the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation and the health service unions.
The document places particular responsibility on senior management to ensure bullying does not take place.
Introducing the policy document yesterday, the Minister of State for food safety and older people, Dr Tom Moffat, said senior managers had a responsibility to create a working environment where all employees were treated with dignity and respect.
The publication of the document underlined the integral nature of this issue for the whole approach to people in the workforce.
He welcomed the approach of employers through the HSEA to the issue.
The development of best practice guidelines at local level would help improve the overall working situation.
Unlike many industrial relations grievances, bullying issues were often hard to articulate, but could be equally important.