Workplace Bullying Part 1: Recognition Part 2: Response April 10

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Workplace BullyingPart 1 Recognition(Part 2
Response April 10)

• Presentation by Catherine Burr
• Social Science Staff Development
• March 13, 2008

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Workplace bullying

• A challenging and
• troubling issue

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Objectives Agenda (parts 1 2)

• Overview what, why, how
• Policy and legal issues
• Update developments now and future
• Framework for defining it
• Tips for effective prevention response
• Q A
• Resource materials

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Today Recognition

• What is bullying?
• Definitions
• Examples
• Is it the same as or different from harassment?
• Who bullies? Who gets bullied?
• How to identify/recognize bullying?

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What is workplace bullying?

• Behaviour acts or verbal comments
• Hostile, unreasonable
• Often but not always repeated
• Hurts or isolates a person
• Creates a harmful work environment

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Sexual or racial harassment

• A course of vexatious comment or conduct that is
  known or ought reasonably be known to be
  unwelcome and unwanted.
• Linked to grounds of discrimination sex/gender,
  race, etc.

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Bullying definitions

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and
  Safety
• Quebec labour standards
• (Commission des Norms du Travail)
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

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Characteristics of bullying

• Pattern of behaviour
• Unreasonable
• Intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate (affects
  the targets dignity or integrity)
• Aggressive assertion of power
• Risk or harmful effects individual and
  environment

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Examples of workplace bullying (Source Bully
OnLine Tim Field)

• Social bantering
• Teasing
• Verbal abuse
• Blame
• Humiliation
• Denigration personal or professional
• Overt threats
• Harassment re physical attribute

• Manipulation of job specs
• Unrealistic workload
• Aggressive emails or notes
• Exclusion or isolation
• Sabotage of career or
• Whistleblower attack
• Blackmail
• Overt aggression/violence
• Physical assault
• Homicide

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What to look for (obvious)

• Remarks
• Gestures
• Reprisals
• Discrediting

• Belittling
• Restricting
• Isolating
• Destablizing

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Who?

• Individual gt individual
• Individual gt group
• Group gt individual
• Group gt group

• Bosses
• Peers, co-workers
• Public
• Customers, clients
• Students, parents of students
• Staff members
• Faculty members
• Contractors, suppliers

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The signs of bullying

• Easy to recognize
• Difficult to recognize

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Recognizing the signs

• EASY
• Severe behaviours
• Severe effects
• Long-term
• Many targets/victims
• Blatant
• Simple environment
• Nasty/evil person

• DIFFICULT
• tonne of feathers
• boil the frog
• Early stages, early diagnosis
• Few targets
• Invisible, subtle
• Complex environment
• Nice/likeable person

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Try to ascertain

• Severity behaviours
• Severity effects/impact
• How long
• How widespread
• Safety/security issues
• Preferred options of the individual

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Signs to watch for

• Turnover/retention
• Absenteeism
• Withdrawal, self-isolation
• Grievances, complaints
• Voiced dissatisfaction
• Relationships deteriorate

• Destruction of clothing, uniforms, equipment,
  personal property
• Minor injuries

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Organizational signs

• Work intensity
• Staff shortages
• Work/organizational changes
• Excessive work hours
• Lack of resources
• Poorly defined jobs
• Lack of clarity of job expectations

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Discussion

• Questions?
• Comments?
• Your experience?
• Your needs?

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Part 2 Response April 10th

• Liabilities personal and corporate