Workplace Bullying and Its Implications on Organizations

Workplace Bullying and Its Implications on Organizations

Discrimination is one of the major challenges that organizational leaders face within the workplace. Workplace bullying refers to any acts intended to intimidate a colleague perceived by the oppressor as weak. In most cases, bullying within the workplace applies in a pattern that is directed at specific individuals. Any form of discrimination within the workplace is harmful, spiteful, and offensive to the victims. If not detected early and addressed properly, workplace bullying has the potential to derail the ability of an organization to achieve prolonged success.

It is important for employers to ensure that they provide employees with a safe and inclusive workplace environment giving everyone an equal opportunity to achieve both individual and organizational goals. Psychologists argue that bullying is often verbal or psychological in nature, thus victims tend to suffer for long due to the lack of tangible evidence (Carbo, 2017). There is an urgent need to stop workplace bullying because it affects the ability of victims to give maximum input in their work, thus lowering productivity. In addition, organizations tend to lose their competitive edge because of mistrust among employees and high turnover rates.

Prevalence of Workplace Bullying

Identifying and managing workplace bullying should be a priority for organizational leaders. Studies have shown that a significant number of people have experienced workplace bullying at one point in the places they have worked, as either a victim or a witness (Cobb, 2017).

Workplace bullying is more prevalent in workplace environments characterized by intense workloads, unclear policies to guide the behavior of employees, poor change management strategies, lack of effective communication structures, as well as employees with low levels of their job satisfaction. In terms of gender, women are more prone to being victims of workplace bullying compared to their male colleagues. Existing federal and state laws in the United States provide some of the gaps that perpetrators of workplace bullying exploit to their advantage. The laws only offer protection to workers who show evidence of physical abuse or behavior targeted to members of protected groups such as those living with disabilities.

Examples and Early Signs of Workplace Bullying

Some of the notable examples of workplace bullying include targeted practical jokes, denial of requests for days off without valid reasons, excessive performance monitoring, unjust criticism, and being misled about work responsibilities (Dean & Shepard, 2017). Studies have shown that constructive criticism, and disciplinary action related to workplace code of conduct do not qualify as bullying as long as it does not humiliate or intimidate the involved parties (Carbo, 2017).

Psychologists argue that identifying workplace bullying can be a challenge owing to its subtle nature. One of the most effective ways of achieving such a feat is considering the views and opinions of employees about things that happen within the workplace. When most of the responses indicate a certain action or behavior as being unreasonable, then it may be identified as a form of bullying (Cobb, 2017). Early signs of workplace bullying include one being ignored by colleagues, being assigned duties outside one’s job description or training, a consistent pattern of personal or work-related items missing without a trace, as well as being asked to perform pointless tasks among others.

Implications of Workplace Bullying

According to psychologists, workplace bullying has several effects on the mental health of employees, which in turn affects the ability of an organization to achieve prolonged success and remain competitive due to reduced productivity (Gattis, 2018). Some of the notable psychological effects of bullying within the place of work include increased risk of suffering depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, needing time off work, and wanting to stay away from the workplace environment as much as possible (Curry, 2016). Workplaces with high prevalence of bullying tend to experience a number of negative effects that include high turnover rates, reduced commitment by employees, increased absenteeism, poor team dynamics, as well as loss of revenue necessitated by bullying investigations and legal costs.

Transformational Theory in Managing Workplace Bullying

Bullying is a widespread challenge within organizations, thus the need to understand and manage it in an effective manner. One of the guiding principles of the transformation theory is the need to promote a consistent vision and a set of values that people can apply to understanding changes in their lives. Effective management of bullying w