CEOs, celebrities, sportsmen and ministers have formed an unlikely coalition – all in the name of a newly unveiled national campaign to stamp out bullying in the workplace and beyond.

The Underdogs campaign is the brainchild of NRL boxing trainer Christian Marchegiani, who said that being more aware of the effects of bullying will empower people to stand up for themselves and others.

Colon Fabig, CEO of Living Social Australia and New Zealand, has been named the official ambassador of the campaign.“I will be taking the anti-bullying message with me into the boardroom and into the workplace, encouraging everyone to take a stand against bullying – even when it may not be the most popular thing to do,” he said.

Fabig said he sees LivingSocial and subsidiary Jump On It fostering a workplace culture of openness, and said if an employee feels they are being victimised by bullying they are encouraged to report it to management.

“Knowing that it can cause so much harm, including depression, anxiety and insecurity, we really want to protect our employees from this kind of behaviour,” Fabig added.

The campaign is taking the anti-bullying message to schools, workplaces and community organisations to help spread the word about the seriousness of bullying.

With the support from several high profile Australians, the campaign will be accompanied by a series of TV ads which will be aired on Foxtel and Channel 9.

The campaign is funded by BLOW Communications as part of their philanthropic charity charter.

Source: Human Capital Magazine