Workplace Bullying - Essay Example

?Running head: PREVENTING BULLYING AND VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE Preventing bullying and violence in the workplace (school) Preventing Bullying and Violence in the Workplace Introduction Workplace bullying is one of the major issues being experienced by workers. It causes various negative effects to their performance and it reduces the general efficiency of the workplace. Various managers have implemented programs and remedies in order to manage workplace bullying, however, these remedies have often not gained significant progress against bullying in the workplace. This paper shall discuss how bullying shall be managed as an industrial/organizational practitioner hired by Kathy Kudler of Kudler Fine Foods. It shall discuss suggestions which can be made to the firm in relation to the following considerations: reprimanding the bully, developing a program to end workplace bullying, and on preventing the worst case, that is, acts of severe violence in the workplace. Body Reprimanding the bully Various studies have discussed how bullying in the workplace can be managed. First of all, reprimanding bullies can be a complicated and delicate process. In an article by Alsever (2008), the author discussed that in reprimanding bullies, the goal is to act fast in order to express how the company is very much against the behavior. I would advise Kudler Fine Foods to pay attention to any bullying which would occur in the workplace and when grievances are forwarded, to immediately address these. When these activities are unaddressed, victims often stop reporting the bullying acts (Alsever, 2008). I would advise the manager who would be reprimanding the bully to talk to the bully directly, but not in a confrontational or emotional way. The manager must also specifically describe the behavior and the offense which was manifested by the employee (Alsever, 2008). After the incident is described, the bully’s thoughts about the incident and the behavior must be solicited. The manager must note what the bully would behave and what he would say, how he would defend himself, or how he would react to the accusation. The employees’ reaction can be used as a means of assessing their behavior and their potential for change (Alsever, 2008). In confronting bullies, it is important for managers to avoid personalizing the issue, preventing associations of the behavior with the person; instead expressing disapproval of the bullying conduct, and not the person (Alsever, 2008). It is also important for managers to not be drawn into the bully’s defense about their victim deserving the bullying. Instead, the managers must tell the bully that regardless of their motive for their conduct, they must stop their bullying activities. Plan In managing the bullying behavior in Kudler Fine Foods, the concepts forwarded by the duty-based theory by Immanuel Kant can be considered. This theory would require the company to create a work environment which acknowledges the fact that humans are imbued with a sense of morality and can reason and rationalize well (Carden and Boyd, 2010). This environment created in the Kudler Fine Foods environment must therefore avoid insulting or bullying behavior; creates policies which apply to all employees equally; and protects a workplace environment which ensures the good and betterment of others in the environmental sense (Carden and Boyd, 2010). Managers must also note how acts impact on workers. If these acts serve to intimidate, pressure, or antagonize a worker, then these would qualify as bullying and therefore have to be reprimanded. Another approach which can be recommended to the manager is the outcome based approach. This approach seeks to benefit people according to what is good and bad (Carden and Boyd, 2010). The truth behind this approach is on seeking the greatest good for the most number of people affected. It would therefore focus more on the impact of the act, not the behavior or conduct. In effect, a morally correct act is one which would benefit most people, and one which is morally incorrect includes acts which would have negative effects on most people (Carden and Boyd, 2010). In applying this theory, the manager would ask what a person’s goal is and what overall outcome he is aiming for (Carden and Body, 2010). This theory emphasizes on the impact of the actions, not on moral values which may surround the action. The manager therefore needs to establish which individuals would be impacted by the action. A cost-benefit analysis must also be carried out by the manager in order to establish the positive and the negative effects of actions (Carden and Boyd, 2010). The choice action would then be established by the manager after considering which action would provide the most benefit for the employees. Applying this program would however be more complicated as compared to the duty-based theory (Carden and Boyd, 2010). A significant assessment process of employee behavior would have to be reviewed under the outcome-based theory. On the other hand, the duty-based theory is more simplistic and efficient in its goals and processes making it the better choice in this case. Cuyper, Baillien and De Witte (2009) discuss that the qualities of the work environment and the job itself all work to contribute to workplace bullying. In some instances, workplace bullying may arise from victims as well. This is based on the idea of reciprocity where victims of bullying may participate in bullying towards other people whom they may view as perpetrators; some victims also end up bullying others in order to find other individuals who can serve as scapegoats (Cuyper, et.al., 2009). Within this context, in order to manage the bullying behavior, the work environment must be assessed as a means of reviewing employee behavior and possible reasons or causes of such bullying behavior. Employees bully other employees for various reasons, and there is a need to understand these reasons first before a plan can be conceptualized or implemented in the workplace. Yuksel (2010) discussed the importance of teamwork in managing workplace bullying. In his study, he discovered that only a handful of managers actually utilized teamwork in their decision-making processes. And yet, teams are usually part of corporations in fulfilling multifunctional groups which are flexible and connected globally (Yuksel, 2010). In these teams however, members may withhold information from each other, choosing instead to report malicious data to other employees. The workplace policies to be applied by the managers may therefore be conceptualized based on how to get the members of the team to work with each other (Yuksel, 2010). Strong teamwork in the end would open avenues for discussion among the members, reducing attitudes which seek to maliciously destroy each other or antagonize each other. It would also be prudent to establish a program against bullying under a violence prevention policy or under a separate policy (Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare, 2009). The choice must be made by the organization under a zero-tolerance policy against bullying or similar behavior in the workplace. Aside from this policy, a Complaint Resolution Process must be established by the organization. This process shall initially include a complaint resolution process which is meant to eliminate the risks involved and to apply systematic approaches to bullying in the workplace (Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare, 2009). The employees therefore need to be informed that a policy for complaint processes in instances of bullying is available to them; and that various legal options are available to them, in either filing a formal or informal complaint against the bully. Personal choices on the part of the bullied victim must also be made available and discussed by the manager with the victim. If this option is considered by the victim, he must be instructed to keep a record of the conversation, and that information must be made available from the human resources representative, the union representative, the manager, and the counselor (Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare, 2009). The informal process can also be made available to the bullied employee. This informal process would be geared towards ensuring that the incident would be resolved the soonest possible time. With speedy resolution, both parties can be satisfied and the work dynamic and efficiency can be restored. The manager must also make it clear to the employee that in taking the informal option, no formal investigation or reprimand would ensue (Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare, 2009). The manager in this case must conciliate the matter between the parties involved; or the employees can choose a party conciliator to work out the process of informally resolving the incident. Legal basis The above plans are very much in accordance with the provisions of Section 703(a) of Title VII (Civil Rights Act of 1964) which basically emphasizes that it is not legal for any employer to discriminate against any individual with respect to his race, color, religion, and similar demographic considerations (Cascio and Aguinas, 2011). This non-discrimination provision implies protection for employees against any untoward and discriminatory acts while in the workplace. The obligation is therefore on managers to ensure that the workplace and their employees are secure in their activities and in the workplace; and that they are not unfairly treated by their managers and their fellow employees based on considerations which are irrelevant to their competency as workers. Conclusion The discussion above discusses the issue of workplace discrimination and how employees often find themselves victims of this conduct from their managers or from their work colleagues. In the interest of securing an effective and satisfactory work environment, the pressure is on managers to address this issue. In the case of Kudler Fine Foods, the manager needs to immediately confront and reprimand the bully. The process of reprimanding must not be threatening or emotional; it must focus on the behavior or conduct of the bully, not on his personality. In establishing the plan for addressing the bullying in the workplace, the duty-based approach, which focuses on the responsibility of the managers in creating a conducive work place is highlighted. The outcome-based approach may also be applied. A clear procedure for filing a complaint must also be made available for the employees. Each employee must be made aware what his options are and that the manager would act on whatever options he would choose. References Alsever, J. (2008). How to Handle a Workplace Bully. CBS News. Retrieved 22 February 2012 from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51242687/how-to-handle-a-workplace-bully/ Carden, L. & Boyd, R. (2010). Workplace bullying: an ethical context applying duty and outcome based approaches to human resource functions. Southern J. of Business & Ethics, 2 Cascio, W., Aguinis, H. (2011) Applied Psychology in Human Resource Management, 7th Ed. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Cuyper, N., Baillien, E. & De Witte, H. (2009). Job insecurity, perceived employability and targets’ and perpetrators’ experiences of workplace bullying. Work & Stress, 23(3), 206-224. Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare. (2009). Bullying in the Workplace: A handbook for the workplace. Retrieved 24 February 2012 from http://www.osach.ca/products/resrcdoc/rvioe528.pdf Yuksel, M. (2010). The straitjacket at workplace: Mobbing. Chinese Business Review, 9(3), 1537-1506. Read More