...Bullying in the Workplace Introduction In the United States, more than a third of the workforce have been tormented on the job, according to a 2010 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, a research and support group whose goals are to understand, correct and prevent all abuse at work. It has been estimated that about 30% of U.S. employees over the course of their work life experience some type of workplace bullying (Workplace Bullying Institute, 2010). What is Workplace Bullying? “Bullying,” by definition is the process of intimidating or mistreating somebody weaker or in a more vulnerable situation (Microsoft Word , 2007). Research has been done on the occurrence of workplace bullying, and it’s been found that bullying is not a rare occurrence, although it varies in the reporting of the incidents (International Small Business Journal, 2011). It is important to be familiar with the definition and the types of workplace bullying and report it to the proper people so it can be stopped. Types of Bullying There are several different things that are considered to be “bullying” if you experience it at your workplace. Bullying can be aggressive with screams or threats and it can be passive and be disguised and hard to identify. Here is a few of the things considered to be bullying: 1. Verbal Abuse, which is the use of words, to attack, control, and inflict harm on another person, it involves inflicting mental cruelty on another person, attacking the...
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...Toxic Working Environments: Recognizing Workplace Bullying Aug 2, 2010 Andrew Mitchell A Bully's Tirade - bulagm Bullying affects workers that are usually at the "work unit" level. It occurs mostly when organizations support and reinforce its existence. Bullying in the workplace has a variety of labels, such as psychological harassment, emotional abuse and mobbing. Workplace bullying is characterized by: intentional, repeated and enduring aggressive behaviors (most frequently verbal); intended to be hostile and/or perceived as hostile by the recipient; usually unpredictable, irrational, and unfair. Workplace bullying makes work an anxiety-ridden experience. No one wants to go where they've been chosen for target practice. A workplace prone to bullying is one where people do not respect or value the benefits of difference. There is usually an air of fear. Supervisors are typically without adequate training in managing people. Accountability structures are not properly defined. There is usually too much work and/or overly intense supervision. Performance appraisals are either too subjective or have little objectivity in criteria. Communication channels are unclear. The typical pattern of workplace bullying is when someone is genuinely going after a coworker. The bully singles out the coworker for abuse. Targets are usually good at their work, non-confrontational and/or unassertive. They may be friendly yet mind their own business and often are not members...
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...Bullying in the Workplace Many people relate bullying to their earlier days in school and still relate bullying to the typical “school yard” bully that seemed to terrorize the weakest children on the playground. Times have changed but the bully still lives and more than likely still torments its victims. Bullying in itself is a mistreatment of one or more persons by another individual or in some cases, a group of people. It is still present in today’s schools and it continues to linger around the average business office. Workplace bullying is often overlooked or ignored. When it comes to bullying in the workplace, it differs from the traditional bullying that so many grew up with. So many people assume that bullying does not exist in the office due to the fact that there are adults present, not children. Unfortunately, there are many adults who still behave like children and show little to no respect for their co-workers. Many people bully others without even realizing that they are doing it due to their own hidden issues. Very few are able to recognize what is beneath the surface and what lies behind the cause of conflict. Company employees are expected to be professional and grown up. After all, they are adults and they should behave as such. “Bullying is also a global phenomenon. Some researchers suggest that workplace bullying is more prevalent in the U.S. due to the cultural values of the U.S. which emphasize on individuality, assertiveness, masculinity, and achievements”...
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...Workplace bullying and union involvement Introduction Bullying is all around us. We’ve seen it on the school playgrounds as children all the way through to the companies which we are employed. I’m sure at some point in our lives we ourselves have fallen victim to bullying or have even the person doing the bullying. Unfortunately, bullying is an increasing problem within the organization. To date, there are approximately 54 million people out there who have been victims to workplace bullying; of which, 45 percent suffer from various health problems due to stress and 40 percent were either fired because their work productivity diminished or they eventually quit because they couldn’t handle it anymore (Bennett-Alexander, 2012). Since bullying is such a common offense, it is often difficult to detect. This briefing will provide information about the problem, guidance on how to tackle it before it gets out of control, and what to include in an effective prevention policy and how to put it into action. What is bullying? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classified workplace bullying not only as a form of harassment; they also gave bullying its own category under their definition of workplace violence (“Workplace violence”, n.d.). If not dealt with immediately, the bullying has the potential to lead into something more severe or fatal. Bullying is not just an employment problem; it’s an issue of power and feeling dominant. It can also raise...
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...problem” (Anderson, 2009, p. 212). Often times, problems can be difficult, and decisions can be challenging. Most problem solving issues require a lot of thought, emotion, and research in order to come up with a conclusion. The main goal in problem solving is to hinder and conquer obstacles and find the best solution to resolving the issues. Individuals use different strategies for problem solving in everyday life, whether at home, at work, or just in general. This paper will illustrate bullying in the workplace, and how to strategize. This paper will also demonstrate problem solving in the workplace, methods to problem solving, judgments in problem solving, and an implemented plan. Methods to Problem Solve Bullying in the workplace is a psychological harassment that impacts the mental health of individuals’ wellbeing. Bullying can lead to employee stress and it targets the physical and mental health of the individual (Namie & Namie, 2013). Bullying in the workplace is not acceptable behavior and there are ways to identify or deal with bullying. Mangers should provide advice and information to prevent the effects of bullying on the health and safety of the company’s employees. Bullying incidents are usually identified by assessing the steps to minimize the risks and make sure the policies and procedures ensure that bullying does not happen (Department of Further Education, Employment, Service & Technology, 2005). Bullying can be...
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...Sticks and Stones: Bullying in America Thomas Martin BEH – 331 September 20, 2011 Professor Shalanda Moten Table of Contents Introduction 3 Bullying Defined 3 Bullying in Schools 5 Bulling in Gangs 6 Workplace Bullying 7 Innovation in Intervention 8 Aggression Replacement Therapy. 9 Promoting Issues in Common. 11 Managing Workplace Bullying. 12 Conclusion 13 Sticks and Stones: Bullying in America Introduction Bullying is an age-old problem that persists into the twenty-first century. Although it is one of the most pervasive issues in American schools, bullying tends to receive very little attention from faculty or administration. Learning institutions often advertise themselves as bully free environments, but events occurring on these campuses are frequently those that are responsible for long-term trauma and for the emotional scarring of those who are victimized. When incidents of bullying are ignored or downplayed, aggressors gain increased confidence and tend to repeat similar offenses. This often creates a cycle of aggression and rule breaking behavior that extends into adulthood. “A study showed that sixty percent of identified bullies during their grade six through nine years eventually were involved in at least one criminal conviction by age twenty-four” (Whitney & Smith, 2007, p. 21). Childhood bullying is not only an issue in its own right. It is one that has also been found to lead to dire consequences in adulthood. Clearly, what is...
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...Child Bullying and Workplace Violence Kyle Gerner Dr. Kenneth Lynch Business Law I 4 May 2013 Child Bullying and Workplace Violence Child bullying is one of the greatest challenges the younger generation faces today, in my opinion, while work place violence is problems faced by adults. To me it would seem the mitigating factor of bullying is associated with the divorce rate that is in America, while it seems for workplace violence there is no one real cause. We will cover a wide variety of topics today, but a special emphasis will be placed on bullying as it is something that deeply saddens me and is likely to deeply sadden you after I share my thoughts and essentially ethics regarding this matter. Three of the reasons children may be preyed upon are poor social skills, they may have no or few friends, and being non-confrontational, (McIntire, Franks, n.d.). “Tracing the ferment of workplace violence back to its root causes involves looking into the role of individual behavior, the interaction of a set of risk factors and the situations presenting the greatest risk, (Causes of Workplace Violence, n.d.). Children with Poor Social Skills When kids have poor social they are generally isolated and choose to keep to themselves, thus allowing bullies to pick on them. Seeing as how they are pointed out among most of the children in schools, it is no wonder they are chosen by bullies. I can remember countless times growing up in school that the children who were always...
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...how an employer or human resources department can stop the negative behavior Workforce bullying is defined as “repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals towards an employee, which is intended to intimidate and creates a risk of the health and safety of the employee” (Workplace Bullying, 2008). “Workforce bullying is often an abuse or misuse of power. Bullying is behavior that intimidates, degrades, offends, or humiliates an employee” (Workplace Bullying, 2008). The behavior can be as vague as the bully glaring in a demeaning manor at the victim to overt behavior as sticking fingers in the face or yelling and screaming at the victim. Experiencing bullying often creates a feeling of defenselessness as it undermines the self esteem of the victim making that person feel they are always wrong and can never do anything right. The ramifications of workforce bullying can result in the replacement of talented and trained employees who leave the company, increased sick leave, and low production in affected departments. In 2006, workforce bullying led to over $180 million in lost time and productivity (sixwise.com, 2006). Why are the costs so high? The victim takes repeated days off to avoid the workforce bully. Some victims are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder or other stress-related illnesses such as headaches, ulcers, and high blood pressure which result in...
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...Communication Monographs Vol. 73, No. 4, December 2006, pp. 406 Á433 Take This Job and . . . : Quitting and Other Forms of Resistance to Workplace Bullying Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik Adult bullying at work is an unbelievable and, at times, shattering experience, both for those targeted as well as for witnessing colleagues. This study examines the narratives of 30 workers, some of whom where targeted and all of whom saw others bullied. Their responses paint a complex picture of power in bullying situations that reframe the ‘‘power-deficient target’’ into agents who galvanize a variety of resources on their own or others’ behalf but also place them at considerable risk. In some cases, employees evaluate the abusive situation and quickly resign. Others protest but, if resistance fails to stop abuse, they also leave organizations. The paths of resistance, case outcomes, and dialectic nature of resistance and control are discussed. Keywords: Workplace Bullying; Verbal Aggression; Organizational Communication; Resistance; Power Adult bullying at work is a shocking, frightening, and at times shattering experience, both for those targeted and for onlookers. Workplace bullying, mobbing, and emotional abuse*essentially synonymous phenomena*are persistent, verbal, and nonverbal aggression at work that include personal attacks, social ostracism, and a multitude of other painful messages and hostile interactions. Because this phenomenon is perpetrated by and through communication, and because...
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...issues and situations. Qualitative research inform social workers about the best way to help people who are in need of assistance. Qualitative research is useful for social workers to obtain knowledge in complex or sensitive situations for example workplace bullying. Many issues in the social working profession fall within the area of sexuality and mental health issues, qualitative research is one of the best ways for social workers to find the help for individuals with these types of problems (Rubin, 2014). This paper will discuss a article about issues of workplace bullying of social workers, and coping responses. The article was a cross-sectional, non-experimental case study of social worker's perceptions of bullies at the workplace and the social worker's ability to create coping responses to workplace bullying. To collect quantitative information a mail questionnaire was gathered, and individual semi-structured interviews were assessed. The qualitative sample included 111 male and female social workers from Washington D.C. The final outcome results were three to five social workers reported that he or she were recipients of rude, unpleasant, and unfavorable workplace environmental interactions within a year. The bullies targets generally worked in military and mental health outpatient organizations or government agencies. 35 percent of the targets held a direct service role, and 29 percent held a management or administrator role. The result...
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...justice, which one does workplace bullying most closely resembles? Ans. Out of the three types of organizational justice, bullying most closely resembles interactional justice in which the individual’s perception of the degree to which he or she is treated with dignity, concern and respect. What one person may see as unfair another may see as perfectly appropriate 2. What aspects of motivation might workplace bullying reduce? For example, are there likely to be effects on employee’s self efficacy? If so, what might those effects be? Ans. Workplace bullying may reduce an employee’s esteem, safety and security, and self actualization according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Workplace bullying can also affect one’s self efficacy. An employee with low self efficacy, when bullied, can experience a decline in their already low self efficacy which may decrease his/her need for achievement, need for power, and need for affiliation based on McClelland’s theory of needs. There are not too many people, which if they are being bullied would want to achieve a new position, attain power, or even want to belong to such a company where other employee’s are bullies. 3. If you were a victim of workplace bullying, what steps would you take to try to reduce its occurrence? What strategies would be most effective? What strategies might be ineffective? What would you do if one of your colleagues was a victim of an abusive supervisor? Ans. If I were a victim of workplace bullying, I would first...
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...setup, at work and through the social media. In definition, bullying can be defined as the act of using force, coercion or threat to intimidate, abuse or imposing aggressive dominion over others (Kuykendall, 2012). Some people argue that for such a behavior to fit the definition of bullying, it has to be habitual and repetitive. It may not necessarily be the case since there may be a particular person who likes picking on his colleagues after a long time. As long as the act involves the characteristics of coercion, threats, and use of force meant to intimidate abuse or impose aggressive dominion, then the act qualifies as bullying. In a situation where there is continued bullying, a prerequisite perception always comes into the mind of a bully or any other party involved: physical and the social power imbalance. There are many behaviors that qualify as bullying especially when they are directed towards a particular person on a repetitive manner. These behaviors include; threats, verbal harassments, coercion, physical assaults and many other mean acts towards an intended individual. There are also many factors that are highlighted as justifications of bullying including; sexuality, religion, class, gender, race, personality, lineage, body language, appearance, reputation, behavior, size, strength or ability (Kuykendall, 2012). All of these are rationalizations that are heighted as causing factors of bullying behaviors, which sometimes may even...
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...2 Bullying Bosses Questions: 1. How does workplace bullying violate the rules of organizational justice? To answer this question we need to know what organizational justice is. Organizational justice is divided in 3 main theories such as Distributive Justice, Procedural Justice and Interactional Justice. This theories of justice are created to make the workplace an effective and a pleasant place, where everyone is treated with the same fairness. For example: Interactional justice concerns fairness of how individuals treat one another not only when resources are distributed but in everyday interactions, as well. However, workplace bullying is the opposite side of interactional justice because bullying employees means, treating them without dignity, concern and respect, in others words workplace bullying is about: Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behaviors, abuse of power or unfair penal sanctions which makes the recipient feel upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable, undermines their self-confidence and which may cause them to suffer stress. Bullying is a behavior that makes someone feel intimated or offended. This violates the rules of organizational justice like dignity, concern and respect. And with that we can say that Workplace bullying demonstrates a lack of Interactional Justice among the three types of organizational justice. 2. What aspects of motivation might workplace bullying reduce? For example, are there likely to...
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...synthesizing what each researcher has stated in their research papers. Article 1 was a research on workplace bullying that focused on individuals and situation predictors that engaged in bullying others. The purpose of the research was to examine the reason that perpetrators in the workplace bully their co-workers. Article 2 focused on trait anger and anxiety that may relate to individuals being labeled as victims of workplace bullying or what is the relationship between the acts of bullying. The purpose behind this study was to determine what influences are in place that causes a victim in the workplace to be bullied. Article 3 related to how employees are coping to workplace bulling and how the effects of bullying are affecting their job performance. The main purpose with this study was to determine the role of human resource management in coping with bullying in the workplace. Comparison of each matrix research questions Although all articles focused on one thing that was common and that was individuals who are being bullied; there were however, some differences in the research questions. For instance, Article 1 questions were geared toward the individuals being bullied and what variables may have been in place that would target the individual to be bullied. Surveys submitted in Article 1 was searching for answers to why bullying in the workplace existed and what factors, situation or decision caused individuals to be bullied. Article 2 mainly focused...
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...The term “Bully” is defined as a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others (Citation?). It comes in different styles and degrees. It can happen during many stages of life and between cultures, sexes, and the list goes on. It occurs due to sexuality, size, color, creed and religion. It is in our schools, colleges, Universities and workplaces. I guess we can say the Bullying is not discriminatory. (This discussion needs to be more general, more objective, remove “us” and make declarative statements). Bullying today is a term well known and often referred to in conversations among old and young alike. What drives a person to be a bully? How did being bullied make you feel? Almost everyone would agree that there is no excuse for bullying. Why a person becomes a bully is not reason or excuse for the bad behavior. This paper will explore bullying by examining the causes and the effects of bullying behavior. Causes and Effects Bullying is seen in the television culture as an acceptable behavior. For example, bullying is expressed in television sitcoms such as “Big Bang Theory” where a group of friends that are employed by a university as scientists and engineers. These characters are considered “geeks” or “nerds” because, as adults, they like comic book action heroes, video gaming and have a high intellect. Society has chosen these names for these people who are a little different than their peers in their looks, likes and IQ. Often...
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