Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace
The following report answers six questions about harassment and bullying in the workplace. It will also describe the role and steps to be taken by the Occupational Health and Safety professional in handling the problem.
What is workplace bullying?
Workplace bullying can be defined as an act or verbal behavior that is persistent and continuous with intent to mentally hurt or isolate a person in the workplace (Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare, 2009). In most cases, bullying may involve negative physical contact or a repeated pattern of behavior that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a person or group of people (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety,
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Bullying has a detrimental effect on the overall health of an organization by its direct impact on the individual or group. Its effect on the individual can be psychological, physiological and, psychosomatic. It may also affect the workers, productivity, morale and overall performance in the workplace (Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare, 2009).
Bullying has also been related to the increased risk for accidents/incidents in the workplace (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2015). The ability of bullying to affect feelings, sense of vulnerability, stress levels, sleep pattern, concentration and attitude of the individual could affect the overall “health” of the organization (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2015).
In addition, bullying has the tendency to affect the overall mental state of the affected individual leading to disenchantment, demoralization, demotivation, dysfunctional behavior, inefficient organizations and workplace violence which could be a safety concern in a workforce (Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare,
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Furthermore, offering an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to affected employees could be part of the workplace bullying prevention program (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2015).
What specific actions should a safety professional take if he/she suspects someone is being bullied?
Upon suspecting that an employee is being bullied, the OHS professional should carry out an investigation into the matter, promptly and diligently in a thorough manner (Work Safe BC, 2015). In the event that the affected worker is not willing to disclose the identity of the bully, interviews with witnesses could be conducted to support the findings.
In addition, following the internal report process set up by the company and requesting a meeting with the bully in a professional setting with the support of the Human resources professionals could be considered as a vital step (Canada Safety Council,
Workplace bullying is defined as any as any type of repetitive abuse in which the victim of the bullying behaviour suffers verbal abuse, threats, humiliating or intimidating behaviours, or behaviours that interfere with his or her job performance and are meant to place at risk the health and safety of the victim (Murray, 2009). Bullying can take many forms, some blatant, others more subtle. Researchers ha...
Chapovalov, O., & Van Hulle, H. (2015). Workplace bullying in nursing part 1: prevention through awareness. OOHNA journal, 20-25. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
If we identify this person as a bully we have to have some type of method some type of strategy to get this person. Their behavior. The first t...
Workplace bullying is an issue at my current place of employment. It pertains specifically to my experiences and observations of a staff member who feels the need to demoralize and abuse her co-workers and patients. Her harsh mannerisms, including aggressiveness and manipulation had a negative impact on many staff
Workplace bullying is a pattern of behaviour intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person. It can include physical abuse or the threat of abuse, bullying usually causes psychological rather than physical harm. The respondents are being bullied by their employers but these helped them to strive harder to achieve their goals. Although job challenges can be hard to deal with, overcoming those issues can help an employee become stronger and more confident.
One major issue businesses around the world face in today’s society is workplace bullies. In almost every workplace there is a bully. In today’s world there are so many different life styles, and there is usually that one person that believes it is their job to push others around. What is workplace bullying? What makes these people become a bully? Who are the bullies and the victims? How do we prevent bullying? Those are some questions I will answer in this paper.
Dealing with the bullies would consist of you: Keep calm under verbal attack, respond quietly and coherently, do not hide the fact, ask colleagues, joint action, written record, confront the bully, ask them to stop, seek advice or initiate procedure (Olive, K., & Cangemi, J. 2015). Promote a positive work culture. Dignity at work, everyone entitles to it and we are obliged to uphold it (Olive, K., & Cangemi, J. 2015). Bullying is unacceptable- clear real revisited policy and robust procedures- timeless crucial. Name it challenge it report it- bullying thrives on silence (Olive, K., & Cangemi, J.
Bullying has been around for a long time, but the negative influence that it has on society is becoming overbearing. Bullying can occur anywhere, from the workplace to the store, but its main host is the school compound. Bullying in school is a major concern, not just for Americans, but internationally. Some of the negative influences of bullying are depression and anxiety in students, which is causing them to become drug addicts. Also, bullying is one of the major causes of suicide among teens in the United States.
A review of the text reveals that there are many definitions of workplace bullying. According to Weidmer (2010), “workplace bullying is “ the repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more person’s (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse, offensive conduct/ behaviors (including non-verbal) which are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating; and work interference/ sabotage which prevents work from getting done” (p.35).” This definition is helpful as it captures the essential relating to the efforts of the bully.
Bullying has always been a problem within the past century and has become an epidemic. However, because of social media people are becoming more aware of the issues associated with bullying and how it has become a trend in today’s society. You turn on the news and you are hearing about kids being bullied and the end result is suicide. Bullying is occurring worldwide. Not only is it happening in our schools and social networks, but also in the work place. The various types of bullying that exist and the attempt to entirely eliminate them is not achievable because of individual and environmental factors.
Bullying is defined as instances where an employee is repeatedly exposed to negative acts from coworkers, supervisors and/or subordinates over a period of time (Incivility, social undermining, bullying, 2010). A few examples of negative acts related to bullying are constant abuse, ridicule, social exclusion, and stating offensive remarks/teasing. Bullying within the workplace may be portrayed in many different ways, for instance, it can be a manager being the perpetrator or another coworker. A few examples of how a manager can act as a bully are by purposely giving one employee more work than another due to disliking the individual, giving unrealistic deadlines or tasks, denying employees necessary time off or even denying access to information needed to perform the job properly. A coworker could bully another coworker by telling rumors about the victim to others in return influencing others not to talk to them, taking full credit for work done in a group setting, or constantly tormenting and putting down the individual. Bullying within the workplace is a significant problem in today’s society. In fact, according to the 2017 WBI U.S Workplace Bullying Survey nineteen percent of working individuals are bullied within their place of work. The study also concluded that sixty one percent of Americans are aware of this abusive conduct in the workplace, yet do not say anything to the perpetrator. Bystanders often do
Blog Posts for aresolution.com.au 1. How to Spot a Workplace Bully Many of us hope that we’ve left the world of bullies behind in grade school, but it’s just as common to find a bully in the workplace as it is on the playground. Workplace bullying can have a major negative impact on any work environment, leaving individuals feeling victimized, uncomfortable, and insecure in their career. Watch out for these signs – if you spot them, mediation may be necessary. 1.
Bullying comes in many forms of abuse and it will affect us directly. It can be classified in 4 categories on how it can have effects on employees. Firstly, employee mental health can suffer. An employee who gets bullied at workplace every day can be stressful and causes effects on their mental health. Most people who got engaged to work place bullying or harassment in a way or another will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder(PSTD), failing memory, anxiety, depression and even panic attacks.
The bullying can be both verbal and nonverbal, through examples like cyberbullying. Many employees can be harassed through email, phone, and social media. For instance, say an employee in a company is disabled. One day Mr. Joe Schmo goes to his social media site while off work and posts discriminatory comments on the employee’s disfigurement. As more comments and posts on the employee’s disfigurement gets shared, the more likely it is that the harassment will reach the workplace.
What is workplace bullying? According to the Workplace Bullying Institute “ 35 per cent of the U.S workforce repor...