Workplace bullying

Workplace bullying is bullying that happens in the workplace. This means that a person is mistreated and hurt physically or emotionally by others while at work. Workplace bullying includes verbal, nonverbal, psychological, and physical abuse, as well as humiliation. This type of aggression is difficult to spot. Unlike school bullies, people bullying at the workplace can use the rules and policies of their organization and their society. In most cases, people who report workplace bullying say that someone who has authority over them did it. Bullies can also be peers and subordinates.Rayner, C., & Cooper, C. L. (2006). Workplace Bullying. In Kelloway, E., Barling, J. & Hurrell Jr., J. (eds.), Handbook of workplace violence (pp. 47-90). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. When subordinates take part in bullying a manager, this is called upward bullying. This type of workplace bullying is less well-known. In upward bullying, employees use manipulation and aggression against “the boss” in order to get what they want. (Jones, 2009; Oade, 2015; Patterson et al., 2018).

Researchers have looked into how work environment and group dynamics can effect affect whether or not bullying happens in the workplace. Bullying can be hidden or obvious. It may be missed by superiors, or it may be known by many people within the organization. Bullying not only harms the person being targeted, it can also affect the workplace culture and morale of employees. 

Workplace bullying has many different forms, and is a complex subject. For this reason, there is no definition all people agree on. 

Workplace bullying is common. Most studies say that it happens to 10 to 15% of people in Europe and North America. This number can be different depending on what definition of workplace bullying is used.

 References 

Category:Employment
Category:Bullying