What factors do you believe contribute to workplace bullying Are bullies a product of the situations and what personality factors might contribute to the presence of bullies?

Answer 1

• Factors that contribute to workplace bullying can be the company where the person is working where profit comes first and the needs of the employee are low on the food chain. From different studies some Managers or Supervisors are the main bullies; some believing that inducing stress or threats of being fired will produce more work from an employee. Then there is a coworker or a group of coworkers that can induce gossip; threats or even threats to the victim. It is not so much the bullying at random that does the damage, but the constant bullying that can actually cause Post Traumatic Stress in some employees. Some Managers and Supervisors are trained in sternness or even threats or an overload of work that they know a certain employee cannot possibly complete if they choose to get rid of that employee. The other side of the coin is coworker dating which is high on the list. It is not wise to date a boss; Manager; Supervisor or even a coworker because if the relationship does not go well then in some cases bullying may start by gossip alone. If an employee (most often women) get raises more often than others or put into a higher position other employees can start gossip that the person is sleeping with the boss when it may well not be true. A coworker may blame another coworker (the victim) of making a mistake when it was the coworker themselves and Supervisors or even Managers can blame an employee or employees for their own short comings. Power in a company can often be misused to bully employees. High stress in Management down to organizational changes within the company can be cause for anxiety and stress leading to some forms of bullying. Companies are well aware of their power and some use it wisely, while unfortunately, many do not and use it as a powerhouse against employees to produce more work.

Answer 2

• There are several types of bullies, but only two reasons; the environment they were brought up in: feelings of insecurity or, parents that pushed to have their son or daughter to be high achievers. There are some bullies that have superficial charm but are insincere; ego maniacal and have an art for manipulation. Then there are the Narcissistic personalities which include grandiose behavior and are very self focused and lack empathy towards other coworkers which includes Management to employees. They want to be high achievers and will step on and over anyone that comes between the goal they hope to achieve. Perfectionists are extremely difficult to work with because they feel the work by others in the company would never be as good as what they can do; are rigid and stubborn in character and they become dictators (little Hitlers.) Psychiatrists and Psychologists agree that some business people can be psychopathic in nature. When people hear the word 'psychopath' they assume that person would harm others physically or 'get rid of them' by other means, but this is not true in most cases and as dubbed by specialists these types of bullies are 'business people who are successful psychopaths and the criminals as unsuccessful psychopaths.' Excessive bullying in a company indicates that Management is doing an extremely poor job protecting their employees (and this is part of their job.) Management can have poor communication skills; allow bad moral standards; pick and choose their favorite employees while also giving them special privileges or a position in the company; bonus or pay raise. This type of Management always looks for a scapegoat when things get tough. In the case of poor Management the abuse creates verbal abuse; completely ignoring an employee; threat of dismissal and humiliation. Women are more apt to be bullied than men as the men are more aggressive when it comes to man on man no matter if it is their boss or someone in Management. Whether the bully holds a high position in a company or it is an employee they feel no remorse; guilt or empathy for the person or persons they have targeted. In the U.S. there are 49% of people that are working in a hostile bullying situation. There is a variety of bully that may seem reserved; quiet; perhaps shy; but underneath they can cause quite the damage to the individual they do not like for reasons of their own. They are sly and crafty at manipulation; can lie simply because they can because they hold a position or if an employee they are sure it is through these tactics they have become a good employee in their own mind with hopes of being successful in that company. Bullies are both products of situation and flawed personalities. Many studies have demonstrated that bullying is associated with a negative and stressful work environment. If the company is a solid one then one or more employees have the right to address their concerns individually or as a group to Management. It's wise to size up Management in a company to be sure they do care about their employees because some companies have Management that encourages bullying tactics although they consider it 'keeping the employees in line' or, 'fear factor.' WBI is the only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying and that combines research, public education counseling for employees and for those employers interested in coping with bullies in their company and legislative advocacy.

Answer 3

• a weak manager who is afraid of his employees and so is not prepared to enforce fair dealings.
• a bullying manager who will take advantage of people when he can
• workers that don't appreciate or understand people who may be weaker, different, or of the opposite sex.
• a workplace without a strong union that will support each one of its members.

Power: Someone uses their power over someone who is, or seems to be weaker.

Self-esteem: Bullies may need to bully to boost their own self-esteem, which they feel is inadequate.

Difference: A person or a group may become the target of bullying because they seem to be different.

Perceived threat: People may get bullied because they are seen as a threat.

Organizational Culture: The attitude in the workplace may have developed so that bullying is seen to be normal behavior.