Workplace Bullying
Workplace Bullying
Executive Summary
As an occupational health and safety consultant, developing a comprehensive plan to deal with workplace bullying in organizations is a critical responsibility. Although some leaders and managers ignore the impact of workplace bullying, it can cripple the organization’s productivity. For an organization with a large workforce, chances of workplace bullying are very high. This calls for a campaign that would help in dealing with the challenge of workplace bullying in such an organization. In essence, such a campaign should also include different perspectives from the theory of organizational psychology.
This proposal outlines a comprehensive approach for dealing with workplace bullying in an organization that shows evidence of the problem. The approach not only includes the management but also the employees. Among the notable causes of workplace bullying are disrespect, lack of effective policies, personality disorders and organizational culture among others. All these issues are evident in different sections of the proposal.
Introduction
Workplace bullying is an issue that affects most organizations around the world. Essentially, workplace bullying occurs when an organization fails to develop sufficient strategies for dealing with the problem. Over the years, different researchers in the field of occupational health and safety have sought to establish the causes of workplace bullying in organizations (Namie, 2011). Among the findings include disrespect, weak policies and unprofessionalism among others. Additionally, occupational health and safety researchers seek to identify the various forms of workplace bullying in organizations. According to findings, workplace bullying might involve physical or nonphysical abuse (Wyatt, 2011).
This proposal presents a comprehensive campaign for dealing with workplace bullying within an organization. The proposal will also highlight the different indicators of workplace bullying in this organization. Additionally, the proposal will encompass a description of the type of workplace for which the campaign is intended. The proposal will thus help the company’s management in dealing with or averting workplace bullying.
Description Of The Type Of Workplace
The organization has a large workforce of more than two hundred employees. Even though these employees operate in different departments, they interact frequently. For instance, the employees of the marketing department must work closely with employees from the public relations department. Such interactions provide sufficient avenues for workplace bullying in the organization (Tehrani, 2012).
The company’s workforce encompasses employees from different countries. Such a high rate of cultural diversity also creates the high likelihood of workplace bullying in the organization. In this organization, the chief executive officer is the highest decision making authority. The chief executive officer has five assistants. Each of these assistants serves as a head of department. The company specializes in production of consumer goods and this involves the operation of different types of machineries. This exposes the employees to dangerous tools and equipments. Such tools might be hazardous in the event of workplace bullying since they can cause serious physical injuries (Rayner, 2002).
Indicators of Workplace Bullying in the Organization
There are various factors that serve as indicators of bullying in this organization. Firstly, some employees complain of favorable treatment of other employees. This is an alarming signal of workplace bullying in the organization. Essentially, equality must characterize the treatment of all employees. However, this is not the case in the organization (Oade, 2010).
Another factor that acts as an indicator of workplace bullying in this organization pertains to the complaints of harassment. Some employees in the organization complain of too much workload. Additionally, other employees complain about working under immense pressure from the heads of department. Such aspects are tantamount to workplace bullying in the organization (Cooper, 2010). Some senior employees have the tendency of using uncouth language while communicating with subordinate workers. This acts as an indicator of nonphysical or verbal form of workplace bullying (Ellames, 2009).
Approach To The Problem
Workplace Bullying- Definition
Different experts in occupational health and safety provide different definitions for workplace bullying. By integrating the different definitions, workplace bullying comes out as a scenario in which aggressive conduct is evident at the workplace (Wyatt, 2011). In principle, workplace bullying may involve physical or nonphysical aggression. In other cases, workplace bullying might involve both scenarios (Cooper, 2010).
Organizational Psychology and Workplace Bullying
The theory of organizational psychology encompasses the examination of employees and organizations. In essence, this theory seeks to identify the factors influencing the performance of employees and hence overall productivity of an organization (Ellames, 2009). The theory of organizational psychology serves as a crucial framework for dealing with workplace bullying within an organization. According to organizational theory, the wellbeing of employees is central to the performance of an organization. Failure to address the wellbeing of employees undermines the performance of organizations. With poor levels of motivation at the workplace, employees do not commit to their respective duties and responsibilities (Namie, 2011).
On the other hand, organizational theory notes that addressing employees’ wellbeing acts as an immense boost towards the company’s performance. This is because the employees can concentrate fully on their tasks. Workplace bullying acts as a distraction to the concentration of employees. This hampers their productivity and the overall performance of an organization. However, without any form of bullying, employees can easily communicate and work with one another for the benefit of the organization (McCarthy, 2004).
Research Findings: Implications Of Workplace Bullying In An Organization
According to Daft (2010), workplace bullying has numerous types of implications in organizations. The type of implication depends on the nature of bullying at the workplace. Before dealing with the problem of workplace bullying, it is essential to examine the most notable implications (McCarthy, 2001). Following is an analysis of the implications of workplace bullying in an organization.
Injuries to Employees
Bullying at the workplace can result into physical injuries among the employees. In most cases, injuries occur as a result of physical bullying at the workplace. Physical injuries not only affect the employee’s performance but also his or her health. In serious cases of injuries, the employee might be unable to work with the same organization (Linstead, 2003).
Physical injuries in workplace bullying can easily halt the advancement of careers. Additionally, serious injuries can result into physical impairments such as amputations and the like. Physical injuries to employees increase operational costs for any organization. It is thus essential to develop sufficient strategies for averting workplace bullying in the organization. From another perspective, physical injuries to employees might result into rigorous court battles for an organization. This occurs when the employees sue the organization in search of compensation (Needham, 2004).
Bad Image
In addition to physical injuries, another implication of workplace bullying pertains to the organizational image. In essence, workplace bullying has a negative impact upon the overall image of an organization. In order to enhance its image in the public domain, a company should have an excellent policy on fundamental human rights. However, workplace bullying is tantamount to the violation of basic human rights (McCarthy. 2001).
This undermines the firm’s reputation in the public. This is because most people would not want to associate with a company that disrespects the fundamental values of humanity. Reputation has a strong effect upon the performance of an organization. Poor reputation undermines the organization’s performance while an excellent reputation enhances performance. From a different perspective, workplace bullying serves as an indicator of potential negligence of quality issues within an organization. Potential clients will thus shy away from the organization’s products and services (Namie, 2009).
Psychological Implications
Workplace bullying also has different types of psychological implications on the employees. This applies to the victims in that they feel out place. Such attributes can hamper the morale of employees or commitment towards tasks and responsibilities. One of the worst psychological implications of workplace bullying concerns inferiority complex (McCarthy, 2004).
The victim of workplace bullying rates him or herself lowly in comparison with colleagues. As a result of inferiority complex, the employees feel as though they are unwanted at the workplace. This has undermines their productivity or levels of concentration at the workplace. From another perspective, the psychological implications of workplace bullying might result into health complications among the affected employees (Daft, 2010).
Financial Implications
In any organization, workplace bullying has different types of financial implications. The first perspective of consideration while assessing the financial implications of workplace bullying pertains to complaints from victims. This occurs when the bullied employees seek compensation from the company’s management. This might have serious financial ramifications on the company. The second perspective of consideration with regard to the financial implications of workplace bullying pertains to legal suits. The victims of workplace bullying might sue the company on grounds of violating human rights. Such legal battles have undesirable financial implications upon the organization (Johns, 2007).
Tensions within the Company’s Workforce
Bullying at the workplace also causes tensions among the employees. These kinds of tensions hamper the development of stable relationships within the company’s workforce. The tensions within the workforce also involve disrespect among employees. As a result of bullying, there lacks respect among the employees (French, 2011).
Consequently, this undermines the efficiency or productivity of the entire workforce. Tensions among employees can also result into the establishment of rebel groups in the organization. This encompasses a situation in which some employees are rebellious towards the company’s management. Such perspectives also undermine a company’s image in the public domain (Knights, 2007).
Causes Of Workplace Bullying
Numerous factors might cause workplace bullying in an organization. The development of effective strategies is dependent on the identification of all factors that cause workplace bullying in an organization. Following is an elucidation of the most notable causes of workplace bullying.
Lack of Adequate Policies
Without implementing adequate policies, it is difficult for an organization to avert workplace bullying. Some employees might take advantage of such lapses in order to bully colleagues. In essence, most organizations lack effective policies for discouraging workplace bullying. This makes it easier for employees to behave as they wish. This may also apply to the organizational leaders when they bully the subordinate employees. Additionally, the lack of adequate disciplinary procedures is also another policy issue that might cause bullying at the workplace (McCarthy, 2004).
Ineffective Leadership
The nature of leadership within an organization can also cause bullying at the workplace. Bullying at the workplace usually occurs when an organization has weak leadership systems. On the other hand, effective leadership systems do not provide room for workplace bullying. Organizations must thus streamline their leadership systems in order to avert bullying at the workplace (Daft, 2010).
Personality of Employees
In addition to ineffective leadership and lack of adequate policies, personality is another factor that causes workplace bullying. Some employees are naturally aggressive. As a result of such aggression, such employees can easily bully their colleagues. On the other hand, some employees are less aggressive. Consequently, such employees are less likely to cause trouble at the workplace (French, 2011).
Addressing The Problem Of Workplace Bullying
The first approach involves the organization’s management while the second approach involves the employees. The involvement of both the management and employees is crucial towards the alleviation of bullying problems at the workplace.
The Role of Management
The organization’s leadership must take the initiative in addressing the problem of workplace bullying. This encompasses setting the right example for all employees in the organization. The first role of the organization’s management concerns the development of effective policies against workplace bullying. Bullying mostly occurs at the workplace due to the lack of an effective policy framework. Aggressive and inconsiderate employees take advantage of such lapse in the company’s policy framework. The new policy should also include an effective implementation framework (Namie, 2009).
The policy for workplace bullying should highlight the various penalties for the employees who participate in workplace bullying. Essentially, such a policy should have zero tolerance towards any form of bullying at the workplace. Apart from policy formulation and implementation, another critical aspect of consideration in relation to the role of management concerns the allocation of adequate resources. It is essential to highlight that a lot of resources are necessary in the fight against workplace bullying within the organization (Daft, 2010).
The availability of sufficient resources would help in developing the most effective plans for dealing with the issue of workplace bullying. On the other hand, the lack of sufficient resources would undermine the process of implementing the new policy. Resources are thus critical components of the approach towards dealing with workplace bullying in the organization. The role of management in addressing the problem of workplace bullying in the organization also involves an effective training program (McCarthy, 2004).
Such a program would be beneficial in enlightening the company’s employees about the undesirable implications of workplace bullying. In most cases, employees participate in workplace bullying as a result of sheer ignorance. However, training programs would help in dealing with this problem. Additionally, the training programs would equip the employees with adequate knowledge or information on how to deal with aggressive or insensitive employees at the workplace. Employees participating in any form of bullying at the workplace should face penalties such as suspensions of even fines (Knights, 2007).
This would be an excellent deterrent mechanism for discouraging workplace bullying. Even after implementing the new policies for workplace bullying, the organization’s management must carry out continuous rei0ews or checkups. Such examinations help in evaluating the various strengths and weaknesses of the implementation process of the new policy. The management also has the role of promoting productive relations among the employees. This is a tactic that would help in minimizing tensions within the workforce (Needham, 2004).
The Role of Employees
Apart from the management, the employees also have a role to play in addressing the problem of workplace bullying in the organization. Firstly, employees must act in accordance with the values and rules of the organization. Even when an employee has personality disorders, he or she should adjust in accordance with the organization’s values (Daft, 2010).
The second role of employees in averting workplace bullying pertains to responsibility. While at the workplace, all employees must be responsible of their actions. This approach would also help in addressing the problem of workplace bullying. Additionally, employees should aim to treat one another with the right sense of dignity and respect. The presence of these virtues within the workforce would help in averting any form of workplace bullying (Wyatt, 2011).
Conclusion
Workplace bullying comes out as a scenario in which aggressive conduct is evident at the workplace. In principle, workplace bullying may involve physical or nonphysical aggression. The theory of organizational psychology serves as a crucial framework for dealing with workplace bullying within an organization. According to organizational theory, the wellbeing of employees is central to the performance of an organization. Failure to address the wellbeing of employees undermines the performance of organizations. Bullying mostly occurs at the workplace due to the lack of an effective policy framework.
Aggressive and inconsiderate employees take advantage of such lapse in the company’s policy framework. The new policy should also include an effective implementation framework. The policy for workplace bullying should highlight the various penalties for the employees who participate in workplace bullying. One of the worst psychological implications of workplace bullying concerns inferiority complex. This is a situation in which the victim of workplace bullying rates him or herself lowly in comparison with colleagues.
References
Cooper, C. L. (2010). Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press
Daft, R. L. & Murphy, J. (2010). Organization theory and design, Mason, OH: South-Western
Ellames, D. (2009). Workplace bullying, Berlin: VDM Publishing
French, R. & Rayner, C. (2011). Organizational behavior, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Johns, G. & Saks, A. M. (2007). Organizational behavior, Boston, MA: Pearson Education
Knights, D. & Wilmot, H. (2007). Introducing organizational behavior and management, London: Thomson Learning
Linstead, S. (2003). Organization theory and postmodern thought, Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE Publications
McCarthy, P. & Mayhew, C. (2004). Safeguarding the organization against violence and bullying, New York, NY: Palgrave McMillan
McCarthy, P. (2001). Bullying: From backyard to boardroom, New South Wales: The Federation Press
Namie, G. & Namie, R. (2009). The bully at work, Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Inc
Namie, G. & Namie, R. F. (2011). The bully free workplace, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Needham, A. (2004). Workplace bullying, NY: Penguin Group
Oade, A. (2010). Managing workplace bullying, New York, NY: Palgrave McMillan
Rayner, C. & Cooper, C. L. (2002). Workplace bullying, New York, NY: Taylor & Francis
Tehrani, N. (2012). Workplace bullying: Symptoms and solutions, New York, NY: Taylor & Francis
Wyatt, A. (2011). Preventing workplace bullying, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
