Workplace
Bullying
IDENTIFYING AND CHANGING A
BULLYING CULTURE
By Mary Ann Baynton, M.S.W., R.S.W.
Bullying at work can impact an employee’s
psychological safety as
well as the overall psychological
health and safety of the workplace.
It’s a complex issue and few jurisdictions
have specific regulations related to
bullying. This can place the onus on human
resources professionals to respond
appropriately.
Clear anti-bullying programs and policies
are important, and in cases where
bullying is demonstrably intentional, disciplinary
measures are necessary. However,
there also needs to be a shift in thinking as
not every alleged bully has malicious intentions.
In some situations, bullying may
be a matter of perception and impact on
the target rather than the intention of the
alleged bully. Demanding workloads or a
lack of emotional intelligence on the part
of leaders can cause individuals to respond
to stressors in ways that can be perceived
as bullying without recognizing that their
behaviour may be harmful to others.
FOCUSING ON HARMFUL
BEHAVIOURS
If the workplace has a toxic or bullying
culture, it’s likely that many people contribute
to it. In these situations, it can be
useful to conduct facilitated awareness
sessions where all management and employees
are asked to consider some key
questions intended to highlight behaviours
and concerns of bullies, targets and
bystanders. Answering the questions together
can provide an opportunity for
participants to think about how individuals
and teams work together as well as how
their responses to workplace stressors may
be harmful to others.
BULLYING BEHAVIOUR
Many people engaging in workplace bullying
are not aware that their behaviour
is seen as bullying. Passionate people can
be perceived as overly forceful in pushing
ideas or expressing disappointments.
Someone who has been criticized for poor
performance may try to deflect attention
by pointing out perceived faults of their
co-workers. Managers may speak loudly
or curtly when assigning work or giving
feedback.
These individuals may become more
aware of the potential impact of their
behaviours by asking themselves these
questions:
■■ How do I interact with others when I am
frustrated at work?
■■ How do I interact with the person I
perceive to be the weakest on my team?
■■ How might I interact differently with
a person I perceive to be strong and
confident?
■■ When do I raise my voice at work?
■■ When am I more passionate or
animated? What might that look like to
others?
■■ When do I refuse to engage with others
at work?
■■ When do I expect people to simply
follow directions and when do I invite
collaboration?
TARGETS OF BULLYING
Being subjected to bullying behaviours,
regardless of the intention of the alleged
bully, can have a serious negative impact
on physical and mental wellness both at
and outside of work.
The Canada Safety Council reports that
45 per cent of targets of workplace bullying
suffered stress-related health problems
including anxiety, panic attacks and clinical
depression. Part of the challenge is that
some people may interpret behaviours as
bullying that others are able to overlook
or ignore. Rather than questioning whether
or not the target is “just being sensitive,”
the perceived bullying behaviour needs to
be addressed to reduce the risk to the alleged
target’s physical and mental wellness.
To improve awareness of their sensitivity
to each other’s behaviours, ask
employees to consider their answers to the
following questions:
■■ How do I prefer to receive critical
feedback? Have I ever shared this
28 ❚ JANUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL