Bullying in the Workplace
Current Issue: Bullying in the Workplace
Article: “Bullies Can Make Workplace Intolerable” by Marlene Habib; The Globe and Mail
Bullying in the workplace is both a current and critical issue that has only recently begun to be given the serious attention it deserves. This paper will address the issue of bullying in the workplace through various avenues. An analysis of the issue will include: a definition of workplace bullying, typical behaviours associated with bullying, profiles of both the bully and the victim, and the effects of bullying on workers and the organization. A summary of the article “Bullies Can Make Workplace Intolerable” will help to corroborate the seriousness of this occupational health and safety issue. Included will be my perspective on whether this article was successful in demonstrating that bulling in the workplace is a serious issue, and why I came to that conclusion. Suggestions and recommendations will be put forth that seek to abolish bullying in the workplace by making it intolerable, and to see its eventual demise.
Bullying, harassment and violence in the workplace were cast into the spotlight as amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, through Bill 168, became effective June 15, 2010. Bill 168: defines violence and harassment in the workplace; seeks to strengthen the protection of workers from workplace violence and harassment; and describes the duties that employers are responsible for carrying out with regard to violence and harassment (Ontario Ministry of Labour, 2011). When we think of hazards in the workplace, injuries from machinery or dangerous materials come to mind. What if it is the people we work with who are causing us harm? Being repeatedly subjected to humiliation, demoralization or being undermined by another worker or superior is bullying (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2008). Bullying should not be confused with everyday conflict experienced between employees in the
Article: “Bullies Can Make Workplace Intolerable” by Marlene Habib; The Globe and Mail
Bullying in the workplace is both a current and critical issue that has only recently begun to be given the serious attention it deserves. This paper will address the issue of bullying in the workplace through various avenues. An analysis of the issue will include: a definition of workplace bullying, typical behaviours associated with bullying, profiles of both the bully and the victim, and the effects of bullying on workers and the organization. A summary of the article “Bullies Can Make Workplace Intolerable” will help to corroborate the seriousness of this occupational health and safety issue. Included will be my perspective on whether this article was successful in demonstrating that bulling in the workplace is a serious issue, and why I came to that conclusion. Suggestions and recommendations will be put forth that seek to abolish bullying in the workplace by making it intolerable, and to see its eventual demise.
Bullying, harassment and violence in the workplace were cast into the spotlight as amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, through Bill 168, became effective June 15, 2010. Bill 168: defines violence and harassment in the workplace; seeks to strengthen the protection of workers from workplace violence and harassment; and describes the duties that employers are responsible for carrying out with regard to violence and harassment (Ontario Ministry of Labour, 2011). When we think of hazards in the workplace, injuries from machinery or dangerous materials come to mind. What if it is the people we work with who are causing us harm? Being repeatedly subjected to humiliation, demoralization or being undermined by another worker or superior is bullying (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2008). Bullying should not be confused with everyday conflict experienced between employees in the
References: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. (2008, April). Health & Safety Report. 6(4). Retrieved April 1, 2013, from http://www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2008/04/ezine.html#inthenews Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. (2013). Bullying in the Workplace. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/bullying.html Carswell. (2012). 2012 Pocket Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act & Regulations (Vol. 12). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Carswell - Division of Thomson Reuters. Habib, M. (2011, December 19). Bullies Can Make Workplace Intolerable. Retrieved April 9, 2013, from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-managing/bullies-can-make-workplace-intolerable/article4201840/ Ontario Ministry of Labour. (2011, July). Preventing Workplace Violence & Workplace Harassment. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Ontario Ministry of Labour: http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/sawo/pubs/fs_workplaceviolence.php Public Services Health and Safety Association. (2010). Bullying in the Workplace - A Handbook for the Workplace. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Public Services Health and Safety Association: www.healthandsafetyontario.ca/HSO/media/.../BullyWkplace.pdf