Bullying as a Form of Harassment and Hazard in the Workplace
Along with other health and safety issues and offenses such as sexual harassment or discrimination, workplace bullying has been recognized as one not only a form of harassment, but also as a hazard in the workplace in terms of employee health and safety. Indeed, even lawmakers have come to recognize the legitimacy of the danger inherent in this form of harassment, as can be seen in Australian as well as international legislation. In order to understand the realities of workplace bullying, it is useful to define it by investigating the various manifestations that this offense may take. Workplace bullying can be perpetrated either in a blatant or subtle manner. Subtle bullying is by nature far more damaging than blatant bullying such as name-calling or insulting. As such, subtle bullying is hard to recognize, difficult to stop, and therefore far more significant in the long term. Damage from workplace bullying affects various areas not only of the individual's life, but also the company concerned in terms of revenues and losses. The nature of workplace bullying, its effects, and its mitigation are considered here. According to Gurchiek (2005), bullying is the repetition of m
Such bullying from a position of power is often exacerbated by a perceived amount or position of power in the perpetrator. This stems from a business culture of command and control within the autocratic organization. Namie & Namie (2003) emphasis that workplace bullying is not only harmful to the health of employees, their relationships in the workplace, and the organization, but is also illegitimate and should therefore be treated as such. The stress caused by such changes can result in an increase in stress and therefore also an increase in the less admirable qualities both in supervisors and workers. An organization may have a very strong culture. As such, they tend to target persons who are new to the work environment, and those who attempt to change the status quo. Section 55A (2) of the Act provides that reasonable actions by the employer to "transfer, demote, discipline, counsel, retrench or dismiss and employee" cannot be seen as bullying, because it is within reason. Gurchiek (2005) cites the example of an employee who ignores the manager's instructions, fails to deliver messages, spreads gossip about the manager, or undermines the manager's reputation in some other way. This is particularly a problem in the health-related professions. This will be considered in more depth when the effects of workplace bullying on the individual and the company are discussed. Changes in management, restructuring, downsizing, or simply the inception of new technology can lead to bullying in the workplace. Workplace bullying occurs when employees experience their bosses or coworkers as exploitative or abusive. According to the Kansas Nurse (2003), bullying can go as far as repeated threats to the physical safety of employees. Indeed, Gurchiek notes that a survey from the annual British Psychological Society Symposium on Workplace Bullying yielded a result of 12 percent of the total accusations of bullying made against subordinates rather than supervisors.
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Acceptance Essays
