...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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...Workplace bullying case study Problem definition: Workplace bullying, is the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive or unreasonable behavior against a co-worker or subordinate. Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation. It can come in different forms and shapes. • Unwarranted or invalid criticism • Blame without factual justification • Being treated differently than the rest of your work group • Being sworn at • Exclusion or social isolation • Being shouted at or being humiliated • Excessive monitoring or micro-managing • Being given work unrealistic deadline Justification for problem definition: Workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society - Hence they follow the procedure. Bullying in the workplace is in the majority of cases reported as having been perpetrated by management - the impact is usually critical to both the individuals and the business. * Employees physical and mental health problems: * High stress; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) * Financial problems due to absence * Reduced self-esteem * Sleep and digestive disturbances * Increased depression/self-blame * Family tension and stress * Impact on Organizations: Each of the individual consequences listed above can be very costly for the organization. Costs of bullying generally...
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...Workplace Bullying This article starts out describing a case where employees were given a new supervisor who turned the workplace into a “living hell”. The new boss did not curse at workers but would regularly scold them, send out harsh emails, and yell at them. This created such a hostile work environment that cases like these were brought to the attention of the state, who took action. On January 1st, a state law will be taking effect requiring employers in California with 50 or more workers to include lessons on anti-workplace bullying. This will apply when they carry out state-mandated sexual harassment training for supervisors. Workplace Bullying Post Many of us have experienced being bullied at one point in our lives and it’s a serious issue that can cause health problems such as anxiety and depression. This problem is not just in schools, it’s even happening in the workplace. Workplace bullying can come from anyone, your peers or your boss. The article states that the boss would often call out workers with phrases like “I told you,” or “I gave you a direct order.” This shows that the boss views his employees from a Theory X perspective, needing to constantly monitor and pressure their performance to get work done. He may also identify them as having a type B personality, relaxed and not caring about their work. The goal of human relations is to create a win-win situation for both the employer and employee by satisfying...
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...Bullying in the workplace Workplace bullying is any form of abuse; physical, verbal, psychological or social that is inflicted upon an individual by an employer, employee or group (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011). Methods of bullying include repetitive inappropriate comments (i.e. about one’s background, appearance, gender, culture, sexuality) sexual harassment, intimidation, exclusion, physical assault and threats. In particular instances such as stalking, assault and threats, bullying becomes a criminal offence. It is a common issue considered to be a silent epidemic (McAvoy and Murtagh 2003) as victims feel intimidated or hopeless thus preventing incident reporting. Statistics show that approximately one in three employees are bullied with the highest prevalence in the education department, healthcare industry and government positions (Fields-Gregor 2013). The workplace bullying institute observed that there is a greater occurrence amongst women being victims, estimating 58% of the workplace whilst it was approximated that 68% of males are found to be “bullies” (Farmer 2011). There are a variety of factors influencing workplace bullying. According to the interagency round table on workplace bullying these factors include power, self-esteem, difference, perceived threat, organizational culture, organisational factors and working arrangements. Characteristics of a workplace that maybe more susceptible to workplace bullying include industries with unstructured...
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...Bullying in The Workplace Karen Eugene BUS600: Management Communications with Technology Tools Instructor: Chiji Ohayia February 08, 2016 Bullying in the workplace has become a problem and there are more and more incidents occurring on a daily basis. According to Wiedmer “workplace bullying is the repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse; offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating; and work interference—sabotage—which prevents work from getting done.” (Wiedmer, 2010) Bullying is not only a problem among the employees but it can also be a problem that includes upper management. Sometimes the bullying may come from upper management and be targeted toward the employees or it may be from the employees to upper management, there is no such thing as “typical” bullying. There are different types of bullying that occur in homes, in communities, in the workplace, on the internet, and in schools. Bullying exists in all age groups from toddlers to adults, although toddlers may not be fully aware that they are bullies they just know that they want what they want, when they want it. Bullying in the workplace has effects not only on the people involved in the bullying (the bully and the bullied) but others as well. People who are bullied tend to try to find a co-worker to talk to about the situation and/or...
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...looks at bullying and other forms of violence in a school 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...
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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 has become a rising issue in many organizations. In many cases, employees may not come forward with their experience of bullying because of various reasons. The definition of workplace bullying can be defined in many terms but the psychological feeling can be universal to all. The abusive behavior can cause the victim, the company, employee moral, and even the reputation of the organization negative effects. Workplace bullying can be defined as repeated intimidating, threatening or humiliating behavior, which includes verbal abuse and work interference that negatively impacts performance and job security by the perpetrator. This type of bullying can be from one or more employees to another employee and eventually lead to sabotage. To avoid this type of behavior, companies should create a healthy work environment and implement disciplinary actions including and up to termination. The early signs of bullying in the workplace are: sudden inset of health problems, anxiety at the thought of going to work, being ashamed to admit there is a problem and believing you are at fault. A problem that the employee who is the target faces may be embarrassment, fear, and no support from co-workers, management and/or company. Workplace bullying not only effects behaviors in the workplace but will also cause mental, social, economic and in worse cases, physical harm. Mental harm alone will create psychological-emotional injuries such as (Workplacebullying.org): • Debilitating...
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...health of our workers is Workplace Bullying. “Margaret Boucher, a former employee of Wal-Mart Canada, was initially awarded $1.4 million in a workplace bullying case, the highest of its kind in Canada in October 2012. She suffered flagrant and outrageous abuse at the hands of her former manager” (Roumeliotis, 1). For months her former manager harassed her with continuous emotional and mental abuse which resulted in her losing weight, losing sleep and losing herself, which forced her to quit her job. Her former manager is still employed with Wal-Mart Canada and she can still not find a job, you must...
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...Results from a 2014 Workplace Bullying Survey indicated that 3-4 out of every 10 employees have experienced bullying on the job. Bullying, according to employment law, has a number of definitions including: psychological violence, repetitive and intentional intimidation or humiliation of an individual, aggressive manipulation, sabotage of an employee’s work on the job, etc. No matter what type of bullying is evident in the workplace, it will poison company morale and damage productivity. Not to mention the fact that it will, in almost every instance, destroy any positive culture at the organization. Examples of Workplace Bullying: 2012: An employer was held liable by a California appeals court when one employee harassed another employee (who had a disability) during off duty hours on a blog. Even though the bullying occurred outside of office hours at a different location, the employer was held liable because they knew the...
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...Bullying in the Workplace Policy | Organisation commitmentThis organisation is committed to a work culture and environment where bullying, such as physical or psychological assault, abuse, threats, intimidation or other types of harassment or unwarranted behaviour including pranks, is not acceptable and strictly prohibited. Workplace bullying will be considered as gross misconduct warranting disciplinary action including summary dismissal. | Management prioritiesWorkers will be protected as far as is reasonably practicable from all forms of work-related bullying and harassment. They will be informed about what are unacceptable behaviours in the workplace.A risk management approach will be followed to eliminate or minimise the risks of bullying and harassment.Induction and ongoing training will be provided for workers to learn skills and strategies in conflict and aggression management. They will be informed about appropriate responses to bullying and harassment.Suitable reporting and recording systems will be maintained to evaluate this policy, and compliance with it will be regularly monitored.Appropriate action will be taken after any incidents of bullying, in terms of support, counselling and follow-up.Grievance and dispute resolution procedures will be followed to try to resolve problems before they develop into situations that may lead to bullying or other types of violence.Any allegations or act of bullying or harassment that warrant formal investigation will be investigated...
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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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...HRM855 – The legal Environment | Bullying in the Workplace | The law, its implications, and the future | For: Bob Thompson | By: Anthony DeRose Mike MortonPerna CaputoSaralyn ManzanoTara Knight | 3/24/2015 | | Bullying in the workplace is a serious issue and more prevalent than ever. The University of Windsor’s Odette School of Business in 2011 found 40% of Canadians experience one or more acts of workplace bullying a week. The Canadian Safety Council reports that 75% of victims quit (CBC News). Not only does workplace bullying have serious negative consequences for an individual’s career, it can have a devastating impact on mental and physical health. The damages associated with bullying are exemplified in the following. The legislation in Canada that protects workers from bullying is in its infancy. It does not use the term bullying at any point. Victims of bullying can receive remediation through the common law and statutes. However, as Human Resources Professionals it is our legislated duty to provide safe workplaces for the employees we manage. Additionally, our responsibility is to mitigate the costs of litigation posed by bullying. Proactive HR policies that emphasize education and open communication, combined with legislation that deters this negative pattern of behaviour will help to minimize this risk and associated expenses. ------------------------------------------------- What is workplace bullying? According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational...
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...Good afternoon Maria and Ming, how’s it going? Now, I will continue to talk about the workplace bullying video, so, first I will mention what a victim can do after being bullied, and then I want to talk a bit about how we can manage a bully. A/ Let me start with some solutions for a victim of bully that video stated. Let’s also imagine Maria is a victim. 1/ So, the first point is that Maria tries and manages it herself. If somebody starts taunting her, she wants to nip it right at the start, and she needs to be assertive. You need to be able to say, I don’t like it when you do that, or I don’t want to do that. After that, you explain that you don’t want it being done. If it continues, you may even take it further, and say, it upsets...
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...work environment. Human Resources must ensure that the workplace is free of harassment and bullying. Employees should feel comfortable and safe in their place of employment. Creating a productive working environment is beneficial to both the employee and the organization. Failing to take action in regards to workplace harassment and bullying leaves the organization liable for legal repercussions. Workplace harassment and bullying can often deter workers from committing violent acts against other employees and coworkers. Initiatives like Work-life balance can help to prevent workplace violence and harassment. Human Resources must do all that it can to ensure employees’ safety and to make the worker feel valued and supported at work and that federal guidelines are being followed. The Mariam-Webster dictionary defines harassment as creating an unpleasant or hostile situation for especially uninvited and unwelcomed verbal or physical conduct. It is the responsibility of the organization to immediately act on all claims of harassment. HR must be able to identify harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and violations of both federal and the organization’s policy. Harassment at work does not have to only be of a sexual nature. Workplace bullies can be employees, such as a bad boss or coworker, and sometimes a non-employee such as a client. Bullying at work is an increasing problem. Like childhood bullying workplace bullying is the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent...
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