The survey of Australian employees indicates that the level of bullying is considerably higher than in other developed countries. In particular, about 71.2 percent of respondents stated that they either witnessed bullying or became the victims of this behavior (Know Bull 2010, p. 4).
This behavior can take various forms; for instance, one can speak threats, insults, shouting, and so forth. Furthermore, in most cases, bullies are more likely to occupy positions of authority in companies (Know Bull 2010, p. 3). Admittedly, it is difficult to say that bullying has become a part of the employment culture in the country. More likely, this problem can be explained by the lack of safeguards which can protect the victims. Additionally, this difficulty originates from the inability of many people to understand that the use of threats is not the best way of motivating people.
Currently, there are not many internationally ratified laws related to workplace bullying. In particular, one should consider the Declaration of Human Rights according to which a person has a right to favorable working conditions (United Nations 1946). Yet, one should focus more on Australian regulations which are supposed to eliminate various forms of bullying. In particular, one can refer to the provisions included in the Fair Work Act (The Government of Australia 2009).
According to them, employees can expect the employers to take steps that can end bullying behavior. Apart from that, one should speak about the work of the Fair Work Commission (2014). This organisation is supposed to perform several tasks; in particular, it can force companies make reasonable actions in order to stop bullying. Thus, the occurrence of bullying behavior depends on several factors. In particular, if employees are willing to report these cases and file lawsuits against companies, managers will take active steps to eliminate bullying.
This question can be discussed from the pluralism. This theory implies that power should not belong to one individual or a small group of people. Instead, it should be distributed among various stakeholders. According to this model, employees should be able to express their opinions or offer suggestions about the work of companies. The main problem is that many managers adopt a unitarist perspective on the work of companies. In particular, they believe that the behavior of workers should be completely subordinated the goals of companies. They do not understand that workers can have different needs and expectations. If some managers see that the behavior of some employees does not meet their expectations, they tend to rely on coercion or threats.
It is possible to offer several recommendations that can reduce the risk of bullying in organisations. In particular, the management should implement the so-called open-door policy. In other words, workers should be encouraged to discuss the problem with senior managers without having to deal with any bureaucratic problems. This cooperation can alert business administrators about bullying behavior as soon as possible.
Additionally, the management should openly state that any form of bullying is not permissible. Furthermore, business administrators should warn workers that repeated bullying behavior can result in the termination of their contracts. Finally, managers should develop skills which are important for motivating employees. They should remember that intimidation is not the best way of shaping workers’ behavior.
Overall, this discussion shows that bullying has indeed become very widespread in Australian companies. Yet, this problem is not necessarily a part of the workplace culture. In this case, more attention should be paid to the absence of mechanisms that can protect the victims of bullying. Moreover, many managers are unable to motivate workers properly. Very often, they perceive bullying as a valid approach to influencing the behavior of employees.
References
Fair Work Commission 2014, Anti-bullying. Web.
Know Bull 2010, Survey Report: Extent and Effects of Workplace Bullying. Web.
The Government of Australia 2009, Fair Work Act: Chapter Six. Web.
United Nations 1946, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Web.