Introduction
Communication is a vital component of any job; it is crucial in influencing employee happiness, productivity, well-being, and company culture. However, as is the situation with workplace bullying, communication can also be used as a tool to cause hurt and suffering to other people. Bullying at work is a widespread and ongoing issue that affects workers in many fields and professions. It is characterized by frequent, deliberate actions of intimidation, humiliation, and aggressiveness that foster a hostile workplace. This essay explores workplace bullying from the viewpoint of communication, looking at the different types of bullying, their effects on people and organizations, and the communication tactics that may be employed to stop and resolve workplace bullying.
Forms of Workplace Bullying
One of the most prevalent types of workplace bullying is verbal abuse, which can have a significant negative impact on the victim’s productivity and well-being. Verbal abuse can take many different forms, be intentional or accidental, direct or indirect, overt or hidden (Taris, 2022). The victim of verbal bullying may experience feelings of humiliation, embarrassment, and helplessness as a result of the frequent use of insulting words, personal assaults, and yelling.
Negative remarks can be used to make fun of someone’s job, looks, or private life. They may be done to undermine the victim’s self-esteem, making them feel inadequate, or harming their reputation. Additionally, the victim may experience isolation and exclusion from the workplace community as a result of derogatory remarks.
With the increased use of electronic devices and social media, cyberbullying—a type of professional harassment—has grown more prevalent. It entails using technology to annoy, threaten, or humiliate someone. Cyberbullying can take many different forms, such as sending threatening messages, circulating false information, or publishing embarrassing images or videos (Zhang & Leidner, 2018).
The fact that cyberbullying can occur anywhere at any time, regardless of the victim’s or the perpetrator’s location, is one of its most challenging features. Cyberbullies can stay anonymous, and their posts or remarks have the potential to spread quickly and to a broad audience, making it challenging to control and handle the problem. Cyberbullying can create stress, worry, and sadness, which can have a severe impact on the victim’s mental health and well-being (Zhang & Leidner, 2018). Cyberbullying victims may feel socially isolated because they find it difficult to interact with others online or in person.
Impact of Workplace Bullying
Bullying at work can have profound physical implications for victims as well as long-term health effects. Bullying-related stress can induce a range of medical symptoms, such as headaches, insomnia, digestive issues, tension in the muscles, and weariness. Bullying victims may experience weakened immune systems as a result of the stress and anxiety it causes, which increases their vulnerability to infections and illnesses.
Bullying at work can harm the organization as a whole in addition to its harmful consequences on the victims physically (Taris, 2022). Bullying can result in high levels of stress and worry, which can raise absenteeism, lower productivity, and turnover rates. Organizations may incur significant financial expenditures as a result, in addition to reputational harm.
Bullying at work can have negative psychological repercussions on victims who endure it for a long time. Bullying at work can leave victims feeling humiliated, anxious, depressed, and socially isolated. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts may occasionally develop from it. PTSD is a severe mental health disorder brought on by having gone through or witnessed a traumatic experience, like being bullied at work. Flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding triggers, and hyperarousal are some of the signs of PTSD.
People who experience PTSD may have substantial difficulties going about their regular lives and need medical attention for their mental health (Zhang & Leidner, 2018). Bullying at work can result in suicidal ideation, which is the notion of committing suicide, in addition to PTSD. People who suffer bullying at work could feel imprisoned in their circumstances, helpless, and without hope. They might believe there is no way out of their predicament, and they might think about killing themselves to end their misery.
Communication Strategies to Address Workplace Bullying
Promoting open dialogue is a crucial first step in preventing and dealing with workplace harassment. When employees feel safe speaking up about workplace difficulties, they are much more likely to report instances of bullying and ask for help from management and coworkers (Taris, 2022). Regular feedback meetings are one way that businesses can encourage open communication. These workshops might give workers a chance to talk about any worries or challenges they may have in a welcoming environment. Organizations can recognize possible issues early on and take proactive measures to remedy them by fostering open and honest feedback.
Open communication can also be encouraged by holding town hall meetings. These gatherings give workers a chance to talk about problems at work and offer management feedback. Organizations can show their commitment to fostering a happy and healthy work environment by having open communication with their workforce (Zhang & Leidner, 2018).
Organizations can use anonymous reporting tools in addition to feedback sessions and town hall meetings. These programs enable staff members to report instances of workplace bullying without worrying about reprisals. Organizations can encourage staff to come forward and report bullying occurrences by offering a secure and private reporting system. This can help stop similar instances from happening again and make the workplace a safer place to work.
Organizations must develop and implement policies and processes to stop and handle workplace bullying. These rules and procedures offer a detailed framework for what constitutes bullying behavior, how to report it, and the penalties associated with it. The policies and procedures should outline what is and is not appropriate behavior in the workplace and clarify what bullying is (Taris, 2022). In addition to other types of harassment and discrimination, this can also involve verbal, physical, and online bullying.
Employees who suffer or witness workplace bullying should have transparent reporting processes in the policies. These processes ought to offer a variety of reporting alternatives, such as submitting information to a manager, a human resources agent, or an anonymous reporting system. It is crucial that staff members feel free to report bullying and that doing so will not have any unfavorable effects.
Policies and procedures should also be very explicit about what happens when someone engages in workplace bullying (Taris, 2022). Disciplinary measures like a verbal or written warning, a suspension, or a termination of employment can be included in this. If the repercussions of bullying behavior are made clear, employees will understand that it won’t be accepted at work.
Conclusion
From a communication standpoint, the idea of workplace bullying is a significant issue that merits consideration and action from individuals, groups, and society. It is critical to comprehend the different types of bullying, how they affect people and organizations, and the communication techniques that can be applied to stop and treat sexual harassment in the workplace. Organizations can prevent workplace bullying and foster a pleasant and healthy work environment for their employees by promoting a climate of open communication, educating staff, developing policies and procedures, and offering assistance to victims.
References
Taris, T. W. (2022). What we need to know about workplace bullying. Work & Stress, 36(2), 129-132. Web.
Zhang, S., & Leidner, D. (2018). From improper to acceptable: How perpetrators neutralize workplace bullying behaviors in the cyber world. Information & Management, 55(7), 850-865. Web.