Workplace Bullying and Incivility: More Than Meets the Eye

Special Issue, Winter 2016FROM

Workplace Bullying and Incivility: More than Meets the Eye

Bullying and incivility occur in organizations all around the world, and it is important to recognize the consequences of these negative workplace behaviors on employees and organizations alike. Bullying and incivility wreak havoc in organizations, leading to higher rates of turnover, burnout, and decreased employee satisfaction and motivation. With such detrimental consequences, it becomes crucial to understand how to prevent organizations from experiencing these negative behaviors and provide practical suggestions that may decrease or reduce the potential risks of bullying and incivility.

Noorain Chaudhry From Science to Practice Vol II, Issue I (2016): 5-8. DOI: 10.19099/fstp.031601

Workplace bullying and incivility have been a measuring exposure to bullying, was distributed hot topic of research in recent years, which to employees in 70 different organizations in resulted in a wealth of information on the the private, public and voluntary sectors of impact that workplace bullying can have on Great Britain. A total of 5,288 respondents employees. Recent articles published in both reported employee perceptions of psychosocial academic research and public media outlets work environment (job satisfaction, job discuss the increase in workplace bullying, and commitment, and job climate), absenteeism how although it seems to be a much talked- and intent to leave, mental health concerns, about issue, not much is being done to address and impact of leadership. The researchers it (Kadilak, 2014). Whether bullying comes from described workplace bullying as “the persistent a supervisor or a co-worker, the effects can lead exposure to internal aggression and to a number of issues, including disengagement mistreatment from colleagues, superiors, or at work, loss of motivation, and even health subordinates” (Einarsen, Hoel, & Notelaers, complications (Vartia, 2001). In a research study 2009, p.24). The study concluded that victims of conducted by Nielsen, Nielsen, Notelaers, & bullying experienced higher levels of sickness Einarsen (2015), workplace bullying was shown and health issues, accompanied by to lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts. With absenteeism, poor performance, as well as such disturbing recent findings, workplace intentions to leave their current work bullying becomes an even more pressing issue. environment. The targets of bullying also rated The researchers found a significant difference in their superiors as exhibiting abusive leadership those who work in hostile environments qualities, and their workplace environment opposed to those who do not, with the victims quality as poor. experiencing an increase in suicidal ideations Causes of Bullying after the bullying exposure at work. With such devastating consequences occurring In a study by Einarsen, Hoel, and Notelaers for both organizations and employees due to (2009), the Negative Acts Questionnaire- workplace bullying, recent research has focused Revised—an instrument that focuses on

Volume 1 Issue 2 Special Issue, Winter 2016FROM SCIENCE TO PRACTICE: ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN on identifying underlying causes of bullying and Causes of Incivility where bullying originates from within the Workplace incivility is negative workplace organization. Better understanding of origins of behavior that is less severe than bullying, but bullying should help employers create better occurs more frequently, and has a major impact workplace environments for their employees. In on both employees and organizations. In a a study published in the Journal of Managerial study published in the Journal of Occupational Issues, Rousseau, Eddleston, Patel, and and Organizational Psychology, Beattie and Kellermanns (2014) investigate the influence of Griffin (2014) observed employee behavioral organizational resources and demands on responses to workplace incivility. The workplace bullying. Rousseau et al. (2014) researchers describe incivility as “a form of explain how most research has identified interpersonal mistreatment…low-intensity individual differences among targets and behavior with ambiguous intent to victims in their relations to bullying, overlooking harm…includes incidents that range from what the importance of organizational factors. is perceived as a mild slight to general rudeness Interestingly, research suggests that the or disrespect” (Beattie & Griffin, 2014). They organizational environment plays a more discuss how incivility, much like bullying, is significant role and provides many more factors associated with an array of negative individual that contribute to workplace bullying than and organizational consequences like individual differences. Organizational resources psychological distress, depression, anxiety, low are framed as trust in management, and work creativity and performance, mental and physical demands are described as role overload (when illness, higher absenteeism and turnover rates, an employee has too many tasks to attend to, increased job stress and job withdrawal, and and not enough support or resources to much more. Beattie & Griffin’s conducted a complete them). diary study among 323 employees of a security Rousseau et al. (2014) hypothesized that trust company. Of the 323, 92 successfully completed in management, when low, increases all eight diary studies the researchers had perceptions of bullying, and role overload, requested to complete. The employees were when experienced, causes an employee to asked to complete eight daily surveys that perceive themselves as a target of bullying. measured exposure to incivility and the They also hypothesized that more job reactions the employees had towards it. autonomy and employee participation and The results were that the most common voicing their concerns moderates the response to critical incidents of incivility was to relationship between perceived bullying and ignore or avoid the instigator (72% of both organizational resources and work participants chose this option) and that the demands. Results concluded that less trust in least common reaction was to react negatively management led to increased perception of to someone other than the instigator. About workplace bullying, and that higher levels of job 43% of the critical incidents led to a negative autonomy did moderate this effect. reaction to the actual instigator of the incivility.

From Science To Practice: Organizational Psychology Bulletin © 2016 is a publication of Vanguard University of Southern California Master of Science In Organizational Psychology Program Page | 6 Volume 1 Issue 2 Special Issue, Winter 2016FROM SCIENCE TO PRACTICE: ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN The findings also suggested that victims of done to change or address the bullying incivility seek support to decrease their exposure. negative feelings. These results are important Suggestions to Decrease Bullying to take note of considering incivility at work is common and can become a daily hassle for . Kadilak (2014) points out that organizations employees and supervisors alike. with established rules for facilitating healthy relationships between superiors Bullying and Incivility on the Rise and employees, emphasis on creative With such strong scientific evidence of problem solving, and vocalization of detrimental consequences of workplace employee concerns usually thrive the most bullying and incivility on organizations and and also benefit in cost and productivity employees, why is it that the rates of bullying due to the healthier work environment. and incivility continue to increase? Workplace . Einarsen et al. (2009) demonstrated that bullying is very costly for employers, leading to the presence of bullying is most strongly higher turnover, lower productivity, and correlated with autocratic leadership styles potential lawsuits. With such growing concerns and negative experiences or relationships for organizations, one would assume with co-workers. These findings suggest organizations are doing more to address this social support is necessary for employees to prevalent issue, but research shows that these succeed in their workplace, and creating phenomena often go unnoticed and are often organizational environments that prevent ignored or brushed under the rug. and/or minimize autocratic and negative In an article published in the Loudoun Times, co-worker behaviors may decrease Kadilak (2014) discusses that sexual harassment damaging behaviors like absenteeism, laws are in place in the work environment, yet turnover, and low performance. there are no laws to prevent bullying, which has . Rousseau et al. (2014) suggested that similar psychological, emotional, and physical having the option to participate more in the consequences on its victims. According to the delegation of tasks lessened the effect of article, U.S. businesses alone spend around bullying and work demands. These findings $250 million each year due to the costs of are crucial to organizations because they consequences like retraining employees after provide specific recommendations and high turnover rates have occurred, healthcare suggestions on how to lessen workplace issues, litigation and legal issues, and many bullying effects by using measures that are more incidents that may occur due to bullying reasonably within an organization’s control. and its effects. In most instances, bullying is not taken seriously and may occur for years, even As research on workplace bullying expands, a up to decades, without anything being done variety of further suggestions to prevent its about it. The consequences usually include the occurrence will become available to employee leaving because nothing is being organizations. Providing employees with proper

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