Preventing Workplace Bullying
How Employers can Prevent and Respond to Bullying Behavior
Oct 11, 2009
Bullying behavior in the workplace has become increasingly common because of the current economic climate. This behavior involves much stress and anxiety for the employee, but it also can impact the health of an organization. In many cases, the workplace bully is the manager, or a person that has authority over the victim. Many organizations are not equipped to handle these types of conflicts and may lose good employees because of these situations.
The Workplace and Bullying
Workplace bullying is not always apparent and not always recognized easily. In the current economic environment, many employees who have been the victim of bullying feel they are trapped and have to deal with this type of behavior. The bully is often a supervisor or manager which can be very intimidating for the employee.
Bullying in the workplace can occur in many different types of industries. But the most common organizations are those where the perception of the organization is pure and noble. According to Sarah Dobson in the March 2009 Canadian HR Reporter article, "Tackling the bullies," common industries where workplace bullying occurs are religious organizations, museums, and universities. People assume that because of the mission of these types of organizations, higher management would not allow this type of behavior to occur.
How Employers can Respond to Workplace Bullying
Many employees will make the decision to leave a workplace if they are being bullied, even in a bad economy. The psychological impact of the bullying can be too much to handle in many cases. An employee leaving an organization because of a workplace bully poses a problem for the organization. The bully remains in the workplace and is free to pick another target. The bullying behavior could continue causing a decrease in employee morale and job satisfaction.
Employers should be prepared to prevent workplace bullying and ready to deal with it if it occurs. Dobson (2009) suggests several strategies for organizations to use in workplace bullying prevention and coping:
- Build awareness- All employees should be made aware of the different ways bullying can occur (humiliation, insults, rude remarks, etc.)
- Provide policies and more- Ensure a safe work environment both physically and emotionally.
- Support of peers- Co-workers should be encouraged to support the victim and report inappropriate behavior.
- Safe reporting and documentation- Create a structured reporting process so victims will know how to report the behavior and feel safe doing it.
- Training- Training should be structured around the specific work situation or industry.
- Counseling for the bully- Those identified as bullies should be referred to experts that can help them understand the nature of their behavior.
- Coaching for the team- The work group must understand that there were serious consequences for workplace bullying and not just a "slap on the wrist."
The ultimate solution to a workplace bullying problem may be to remove the bully from the work situation. Unfortunately, many organizations are unwilling to go this far (Dobson, 2009). However, higher management should understand the damaging effects of workplace bullying and be prepared to address them. Managers should equip themselves with the knowledge and tools to intervene in workplace bullying situations, even if they are uncomfortable. This intervention is the only way to ensure a completely healthy and productive workplace.
Reference
Dobson, S. (2009, March). Tackling the bullies. Canadian HR Reporter, 22(5), 13-15.
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