Too hot to handle? Trust and human resource practitioners' implementation of anti‐bullying policy

<jats:p>In this article, we examine the dynamics of trust in the triadic relationship between <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content>, employees and managers when dealing with allegations of workplace bullying. Previous research has shown employees to be dissatisfied with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioners' responses to complaints of workplace bullying, and we explore the novel angle of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioners' perspective through semistructured interviews. Paralleling extant employee accounts, the findings suggest that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioners rarely judge situations as bullying where a manager is accused. Trust between employee, manager and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioner is essential for the successful resolution of bullying claims, yet this study suggests multiple directions of distrust. By virtue of their role alignment and previous experiences of handling bullying, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioners were found to prioritise their relationships with managers, automatically distrusting employees' bullying claims. Despite also distrusting managers to effectively deliver <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRM</jats:styled-content> practices, it appears that bullying complaints are ‘too hot to handle’ for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HR</jats:styled-content> practitioners given the risks to their relationships with managers.</jats:p>