Workplace Harassment Essay Example
An Analysis of Workplace Harassment and Bullying in Today’s Society
Introduction
Workplace harassment and bullying occurs when an employee subjects another employee to degrading behaviour, whether verbal abuse and threats or actual physical violence. It is an inappropriate expression of power that affects workers and their productivity in an unfavourable way (Spry, 1998). Management, and other types of employees, who occupy high-status roles sometimes believe that harassing their subordinates is within their rights and make demands of the lower-status employees (Langton, Robbins, Judge, 2010, p. 313).
Harassment is often a result of stress, power, differences of opinion, undefined expectations of management, absent policies, and tasks not being clearly defined. It may occur when management ignores, or is not aware of, conflict. It is important that management is attentive to this growing topic of concern among organizations so they are able to identify and intervene early in order to prevent harassment.
Harassment is considered to have taken place if the perpetrator knew, or ought to have known, that the behaviour was unwelcome. Management and employees need to realize that what is not offensive to one employee may be offensive to another. While harassment is usually based on an ongoing pattern of abuse, in some instances a single incident can be sufficiently serious to constitute harassment.
Harassment is not confined to a manager-employee setting. It can also take form through co-workers; subordinates; customers, suppliers and consultants of the organization; and members of the general public. The effects of any type of harassment are the same (O'Leary-Kelly, Bowes-Sperry, Bates, & Lean, 2009). Although there are all these other ways employees can be harassed, co-worker harassment is the most common form. Although co-workers do not hold a position of power, they have influence and can exploit it to harass others (Langton et al., p. 313).
People who
Introduction
Workplace harassment and bullying occurs when an employee subjects another employee to degrading behaviour, whether verbal abuse and threats or actual physical violence. It is an inappropriate expression of power that affects workers and their productivity in an unfavourable way (Spry, 1998). Management, and other types of employees, who occupy high-status roles sometimes believe that harassing their subordinates is within their rights and make demands of the lower-status employees (Langton, Robbins, Judge, 2010, p. 313).
Harassment is often a result of stress, power, differences of opinion, undefined expectations of management, absent policies, and tasks not being clearly defined. It may occur when management ignores, or is not aware of, conflict. It is important that management is attentive to this growing topic of concern among organizations so they are able to identify and intervene early in order to prevent harassment.
Harassment is considered to have taken place if the perpetrator knew, or ought to have known, that the behaviour was unwelcome. Management and employees need to realize that what is not offensive to one employee may be offensive to another. While harassment is usually based on an ongoing pattern of abuse, in some instances a single incident can be sufficiently serious to constitute harassment.
Harassment is not confined to a manager-employee setting. It can also take form through co-workers; subordinates; customers, suppliers and consultants of the organization; and members of the general public. The effects of any type of harassment are the same (O'Leary-Kelly, Bowes-Sperry, Bates, & Lean, 2009). Although there are all these other ways employees can be harassed, co-worker harassment is the most common form. Although co-workers do not hold a position of power, they have influence and can exploit it to harass others (Langton et al., p. 313).
People who