Bullying in the workplace is a problem that can affect both employees and organisations negatively. It creates a toxic workplace, lowers morale, and reduces productivity. No matter if it is verbal, discrimination, exclusion, or communication, bullying will affect career growth and mental health for an extended period. Workplace bullying includes the use of verbal abuse, social isolation/exclusion, interfering with work, cyberbullying, and other types of harassment.
Workplace bullying continues to be a major issue in workplaces around the world. Studies show that 35% of employees experience bullying , and 44% reported it happens to them, or they witnessed it. Workplace bullying is most commonly caused by those in a position of power in the workplace.
Workplace bullying refers to the ongoing, negative mistreatment in the workplace that can be considered hostile behaviours like verbal abuse, humiliation, intimidation, or deliberate sabotage of an employee’s work. Workplace bullying is a deliberate, ongoing action that creates a toxic work environment.
Workplace bullying establishes a consistent pattern of negative actions that inflict emotional or psychological harm to the victim, and may stem from supervisors, employees, or a subordinate.
While the obvious objective to identify workplace bullying is to protect the employee, workplace bullying breeds disengaged employees, high turnover, and low organisational trust, which keeps organisations from prospering. Employers must create awareness about workplace bullying and install policies restricting workplace bullying, but simply identifying the problems is the first step towards addressing and solving the issues effectively.
Bullying in the workplace usually does not occur for no reason; more often, it is a result of underlying organisational and personal problems. Variables such as leadership, organisational work culture, and personal insecurities contribute to an environment where bullying is accepted as 'normal' behaviour, as you may determine below:
Bullying usually occurs when one person is given greater authority over the other. Leaders or senior employees may use their position of higher authority to control, intimidate, or humiliate others, allowing bullying behaviour to flourish.
When managers fail to set standards, openly discuss and facilitate behaviour change at work, or earn an employee's respect, the potential for unhealthy behaviours grows. Ineffective management and leadership allow the opportunity for bullying behaviour to take place or even become indirectly encouraged.
In more competitive work environments , there is a higher likelihood that employees will use bullying behaviours to gain an advantage. Bullying behaviours may include sabotaging someone’s work, withholding information, or gossiping about someone to maintain perceived superiority.
An organisational work culture that allows or ignores disrespectful behaviours can easily encourage bullying behaviours. Toxic practices in an organisation that are not addressed can give employees perceived permission to conduct these types of behaviours.
Bullies often bully others to feel better about themselves or to mask their own insecurities or weaknesses. Bullies engage in putting other people down to feel more confident or to feel they are in control of a situation in which they themselves are feeling threatened.
Workplace bullying can impact employee mental health as well as physical health, destroy workplace culture, and impact the productivity levels overall. The negative impact of workplace bullying must be understood for the organisation to implement effective ways to prevent it and effectively deal with it when it occurs.
Often, workplace bullying results in coworker stress, anxiety, and even depression. Employees who experience bullying will usually feel demotivated with decreased self-confidence and may develop emotional exhaustion that can negatively affect their professional and personal lives.
Workplace bullying can also affect the body. Employees can have headaches, sleep problems, and high blood pressure. Fatigue can build over time, and if the employee has accounted for callouts related to health concerns, the reality is that their health may deteriorate over time due to workplace bullying.
Employees may find it difficult to concentrate on their work or even meet deadlines. When employees are faced with disgusting or nasty coworker behaviour, their perspectives will often switch, and they will begin to focus their time on coping with the negativity rather than working to achieve company goals. Workplace performance and work efficiency will inevitably decrease, often dramatically.
Organisational costs associated with hiring increase when employees leave a toxic environment. Some employees don’t see the value in staying and choose to get out and be jobless rather than face the bullying any longer.
Bullying in the workplace culture creates fear, mistrust, and resentment among new or existing employees. This negativity often creates a toxic work culture, therefore inhibiting teamwork and employee engagement, making it difficult to build a positive and supportive workplace.
The bullying will create lawsuits, sanctions, fines, and reputational damage. The organisation will also experience high absenteeism , decreased productivity due to disengagement from fear and intimidation, and high turnover, so overall, there will be a financial burden to the organisation due to bullying.
Workplace bullying encompasses a variety of behaviours and abuses, from subtle, underscored behaviours to much more overt, aggressive actions. Below are some examples to show how bullying can appear in the daily workplace and why it can be harmful to workers and a workplace's culture.
This includes yelling, insulting, name-calling, demeaning comments, and verbal abuse of employees in a negative, dehumanising manner. Continuous and sustained verbal abuse has a detrimental effect on self-image in the workplace. A workplace that allows verbal abuse is hostile for its employees and has negative consequences for morale and productivity.
Bullies may deliberately exclude an employee from meetings, activities as a team, or workplace communications. Leaving an employee out of proceedings can influence their value in a workplace. Isolation can deter employees from feeling included and engaged in the workplace; participation and contribution from excluded individuals are hampered.
Common behaviours are the ability to devise or gossip a false story, for a bully to design any constructive harm to another person. Gossip and rumours can ruin reputation, trust within teams and relationships, and incite conflict in the workplace.
An employer can bully or mistreat employees by not providing information on time, pressing for deadlines that are impossible to meet, or giving incorrect feedback that undermines the employee's effort and skill. Bullies make employees feel helpless and discourage their drive to do their best work.
Bullying can also occur in the online space through emails, messages, and on social media. Cyberbullying can be detrimental as it can happen at any time of the day, and the effects continue beyond working hours. Cyberbullying continues to harm the employee and their mental well-being.
Workplace bullying is not always easy to identify or put an end to, but taking proactive measures can certainly help. Employees and organisations must seek solutions to bullying in a fair light that can safeguard well-being and safety in a respectful workplace. The following are some useful ways to recognise, manage, overcome, and mitigate workplace bullying:
The first step is to identify the bullying tendencies and document each incident with date, time, and detail. Good documentation is the best evidence for making a complaint. Documentation is a method of preserving facts and taking an issue seriously.
If you feel it is safe to do so, directly confront the bully to make them aware of what they are doing. Many bullies do not realise the harm they are doing. Speaking up early will help prevent it from escalating and will emphasise a safe and respectful workplace.
If the hostility continues, you should notify HR or your manager. Companies should have fair processes to handle such problems. Reporting the hostility is a first step towards holding your co-worker accountable and providing a safe working environment for all.
Speak to supportive colleagues, family members, trusted friends, mentors, or employee assistance program professionals. Speaking about the problem will break isolation and create a social connection, helping to build confidence.
Organisations need to step up anti-bullying policies and practices, including policies or procedures that promote open communication, and do so in a way that employees feel valued. Employees who are aware and trained on bullying can identify it and shut it down prior to it happening.
Take care of yourself by participating in self-care such as exercising, meditating, or visiting a therapist/counsellor. If you take care of your mental and emotional well-being, healing will result, as will the ability to move into the next chapter of your life.
Creating a workplace bullying policy is a critical step in establishing a popular and respectful organisational culture. It identifies the expectations that employers have from staff, defines what rights employees have, and explains to employees a fair process for raising grievances. Here are the key areas that should be included:
The policy must define workplace bullying and provide examples of unacceptable behaviours. This will allow the employee to more easily pinpoint possible negative behaviours, verbal bullying, ostracism, and false rumour spreading, etc.
The policy must state who the policy is for. This should include employees, managers, contractors, and, in some cases, vendors, so that everyone in the workplace is expected to uphold the same standards or laws.
Employees should be relieved to understand a reporting process, whether it is anonymous or comes through HR or management. Having a clearly defined process builds trust and gives the employee more comfort in reporting a concern.
The policy should specify how complaints will be investigated in an even-handed and confidential manner. It should include indicators of impartiality, timelines, and communication with all involved parties. There should also be a follow-up on their involvement in the process and ensure accountability.
It would be beneficial to clarify the roles of employees, managers, and HR with respect to bullying and a respectful workplace. All parties must understand their role in maintaining an atmosphere of respect and a safe workplace.
Workplace bullying in India is not identified by a single law, but it is made up of some labour rights, harassment, and workplace safety provisions. The law requires employers to have a safe workplace under several labour-related laws. Here are some important legal aspects regarding workplace bullying in India:
The 2013 Act for the prevention, prohibition, and redressal of sexual harassment of women at the workplace protects women from harassment in their professional environments. While its primary emphasis is on sexual harassment, it also indirectly tackles bullying behaviours connected to gender-related misconduct.
Certain types of bullying, including threats, intimidation, and slander, can be addressed under particular provisions of the IPC. Employees facing these issues have the choice to seek legal action depending on the severity of the conduct involved.
Employees are entitled to report issues related to mistreatment, harassment, or harmful workplace environments according to labour laws. The Industrial Disputes Act provides avenues for addressing and resolving disputes between workers and employers.
This law mandates that companies ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Ongoing bullying might be considered a violation of this duty, holding businesses responsible for safeguarding the well-being of their staff.
Many organisations in India have established their own anti-bullying policies or codes of conduct. Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs), created to deal with matters related to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH), often also manage different types of workplace bullying.
In India, workplace bullying isn't specifically prohibited by law; however, it may fall under harassment, discrimination, or mental cruelty based on the situation. Employees have the option to report these concerns to a labour court or lodge a formal complaint regarding workplace harassment.
Workplace bullying poses a serious challenge that impacts both individual employees and their organisations. By striving to comprehend the reasons behind this behaviour, its effects, and potential solutions, companies can work towards fostering an environment of respect, trust, and safety for all members of the workforce.
