Workplace Bullying

Julaine E. Field, Ph.D., LPC, NCCAssociate ProfessorCounseling and Human ServicesUniversity of Colorado at Colorado

What is Workplace Bullying? (April, 2008)

Workplace bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which is intended to intimidate (usually psychologically) and creates a risk to the health and safety of the employee(s). Workplace bullying often involves an abuse or misuse of power. Bullying includes behavior that intimidates, degrades, offends, or humiliates a worker, often in front of others.

Examples of bullying: Unwarranted or invalid criticism Regular threatsBlame without factual justification Smear campaignsBeing treated differently Denied prof. dev.Being sworn at Quick to criticizeExclusion or social isolation Passed over for prom.Being shouted at or being humiliated Being the target of practical jokes Excessive monitoring

How Common is Workplace Bullying?

- Australia (2006) n= 14,000, 1 in 5 harassed by managers or colleagues

40% stating that they witnessed abuse

- United Kingdom (2005) n = 3,000, 1 in 4, increase from (2000) study (1 in 6)

- United States (2001) 1 in 3 to 9 of 10 (Glendinning, 2001)

-United States (2002)Women reported being bullied more often by coworkers while men reported being by supervisors and coworkers

- United States (2006) 58% of bullies are women and they most often victimize other

women, choosing women as targets nearly 90% of the time. (Workplace Bullying Institute)

Workplace BullyingWhy Women?:1. It is not considered bullying when men do it2. The behavior “stands out more” because it

does not conform to stereotypical feminine behavior

3. Behavior represents an actual or perceived fragile power base

- Only studied in the last decade- Seven types of bullying in the workplace:1. Direct physical bullying2. Direct verbal bullying3. Relational aggression4. Scapegoating (direct attention to… and away

from…)5. Sexual harassment6. Increasing work pressure or work load7. Failure to credit the individual for success or

setting up the individual for failure. (Harvey, et.al., 2006)

Top 15 – Most Common Forms of Workplace Aggression

(Neuman & Baron, 1998)

1. Starting, dirty looks, or other negative eye contact

2. Failure to return phone calls or return emails3. Causing others to delay action on important

matters4. Belittling someone’s opinion or ideas to others5. Giving someone the silent treatment6. Negative or obscene gestures toward the target7. Talking behind the target’s back/spreading

rumors8. Interrupting others when they are speaking or

working9. Intentionally damning with faint praise (Sarcasm

with malice)10.Flaunting status /acting in a condescending

manner11.Leaving the work area when the target enters12.Failing to deny false rumors about the target13.Verbal/sexual harassment14.Failure to defend target’s plan to others15.Showing up late to meetings that are run by

target

What contributes to the likelihood that a person will become a target or victim of workplace bullying?

Shyness (Einarsen et al., 1994)Pre-existing symptoms of anxiety and

depression (Zapf, 1999)Low social skills (Zapf, 1999)Neuroticism (Mikkelsen & Einarsen, 2002;

Vartia, 1996; Zapf, 1999)Submissive and non-controversial, and

they prefer to avoid conflict (Coyne, Seigne, & Randall, 2000)

Sensitive and they have difficulties in coping effectively with stressful situations (Coyne, Seigne, & Randall, 2000)

Conscientious, traditional and dependable (Coyne, Seigne, & Randall, 2000)

The Perpetrator/Workplace Bully(Parkins, Fishbein, & Ritchey, 2006)

‘the abrasive personality’‘the authoritarian personality’ ‘the petty tyrant’ - Low perspective taking skills- High social dominance orientation- High social skills/interpersonal

persuasion

Insufficient coping with frustration – externalized, internalized

Escalated conflict at work – insufficient means to resolve conflict

Destructive culture or organization, Culture of competition, role conflict, lack of autonomy, job ambiguity, job insecurity, forced cooperation, lack of goal clarity, directive communication, strict power hierarchy

Wo

rkplace

Bu

llying

Rationale for Bullying

Power, Influence, Protection

Envy/Jealousy

Triangulation

Punishment

Social Status

Deflection

Socia

l Dom

inan

ce

Hie

rarc

hy

Culture of Snark

Combo. “snide” and “remark”

Belittling style of speech or writing

Social discourseSocial sport

Relational Aggression

What it Looks Like

Behaviors which threaten or intend to harm a person’s friendship or feelings of belonging in a particular peer group.

-Requiring strict alliances-Soliciting sensitive material for purposes of sharing it with others (undermine academic initiatives)-Gossip/Rumors about a close friend to keep her “in check” (managing social status)-Isolation (often sudden and abrupt – it is up to the “target” to understand what she did wrong) -Threatening to withdraw social support. (“I am not sure if I can help you with this project now.”)-Sometimes involves others in commission of aggression

Relational Aggression

What it Looks Like

Behaviors which threaten or intend to harm a person’s friendship or feelings of belonging in a particular peer group.

- Slow to respond to email and timelines-Reticence to make eye contact-Assigned meaningless tasks-Confusing, contradictory instructions-Undermining work performance-Triangulating students-Withholding information-Hiding documents -Setting impossible deadlines

Social Aggression What it Looks Like

Behaviors which seek to harm a person’s social status through attacking a person.

-Competing with someone – strategies include slander, rumors, and back stabbing

- Specific target for bullying (established social norm – social dominance hierarchy) claim superiority, productivity, true intellect, etc.

-Gossip/Rumors about an individual to keep her “in check” (managing social status)

-Isolation /Ostracized

- Always involves others in commission of aggression

-Diminishment in status

Recipe for Relational and Social Aggression at Work:

Individual Variables:• Adherence to a “feminine ideal” for

behavior(the double standard is alive

and well)• Ongoing use of social coping skills• Desire for popularity among peers• Desire for recognition among peers• Avoidance of direct conflict and

resolution• Jealousy and envy• Compare self to others to know

who “I” am• Need for power and control• Reinforcement for previous use

(dev.)

Recipe for Relational and Social Aggression at Work:

Systemic Variables:• Administration who treats

departments, individuals “differently” according to perceived status (Favoritism, Interpersonal injustice)

• Poor or weak leadership • “Face” (positive social value,

ingratiation) allows success (true criteria are ill-defined)

• Inhospitable work environment (competition for scarce resources, lack of respect, low morale, causal attribution error, little change)

• Does not recognize bullying, lack of reporting measures, lack of negative consequences

• Institutional and systemic bias against women

Coping strategies when being bullied at work:• Assertive

responses

• Seeking Help

• Avoidance

• Doing Nothing

Olafsson and Johannsdottir, 2004

• Name the behavior – “Right now I am experiencing this discussion as your attempt to overpower me…”

• Act confused – “Wow.. Let me see if I understand this – you have pulled me off of this project because…

• I statements – “I do not want you to talk to me like this.”

• Document every incident, evidence?• Speak to your supervisor (formal or

informal) • Use a reporting procedure or ask for

one• Find a mentor and other forms of

support• Seek legal consultation• Work on assertiveness skills

(individual or group counseling, workshops, etc.) Psychological integrity

• Take care of yourself

Short-Term Help for Targets/Victims

• Seek out targets, ask questions, “name it”• Meet in private for discussion• Express concern for target• Self-disclose own experiences if relevant• Explore solutions• Explore reporting workplace bullying• Discuss “safety” option

Adapted from Crothers, L., & Kolbert, J. B. (2008).