Bullying

Abstract

Workplace bullying is a multi-faceted phenomenon whose various types— interpersonal bullying, depersonalized bullying, internal bullying, external bullying, face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying, compounded bullying, dual-locus bullying and hybrid bullying— are captured in the ‘varieties of workplace bullying’ framework. Though a multi-causal phenomenon arising from a combination of individual, group and organizational factors, it is the workplace factors which are seen as responsible for institutionalizing workplace bullying within the organization. Since workplace bullying has negative consequences for its main protagonists, namely, targets, alleged bullies and bystanders, as well as for organizations, interventions to address it are imperative. The effectiveness of interventions hinges on top management’s commitment to eliminate the problem, with human resource professionals privileging their employee advocacy role and pluralist approaches giving employees voice receiving primacy. Addressing workplace bullying is key to responsible leadership, socially sustainable workforce management and ethical workplaces.