Anti-Bullying Policies Within the Workplace

In this blog I will discuss the article titled “Bullying in the Office: Why You Need a Policy”, which appeared on “BusinessNewsDaily.com” According to the article, unlike schools, “very few [workplace companies] actually have a clearly defined policy for reporting and dealing with bullying.” Jennette Pokorny, Chief Operating Officer of a human resource provider, defines workplace bullying as “any words or actions that […] make an employee feel uncomfortable, threatened, or intimidated, [… such as] threats of violence or blackmail, hazing of new employees, or [the] spreading of rumors.”  The article highlights that workplace bullying is a problem that is often overlooked because “leaders take a hands-off approach”. In fact, some workplace leaders feel that “employees should work out their issues with one another on their own time, since they are adults.” However, the article notes that ignoring the issue of workplace bullying not only creates a legal and financial liability against the company/business, it also creates the possibility of the problem escalating into something bigger, including violent retaliations.

This article highlights and reinforces two observations I have made within previous blogs. One observation is the broadness of the bullying term, in regards to its definition and the number of people affected. The article does not provide a straightforward clear-cut definition of bullying. Instead, the article lists various activities that may fall under bullying. Perhaps the pure arbitrariness of the definition of bullying is a factor that has led some people to fail to recognize bullying as a problem and has thus led bullying to be normalized. In addition, as can be seen within this article and contrary to popular assumption, bullying also affects adults. The second observation hints towards and seems to support a statement I made within a previous blog in which I stated that bullying is a “gate way” form of violence which leads to other forms of violence.

In order to guide employers the article offers three tips to help workplace leaders create adequate anti-bullying policies which include:

1.      “Clearly define bullying and its consequences. [… ] The employee handbook should […] include a detailed list of what actions constitute bullying in the workplace […] and what disciplinary actions will be taken if bullying occurs. In my opinion, this is an adequate 1^st step to make against bullying because it makes the consequences of committing bullying concrete. However, I think it will be equally important for leaders to ensure that companies implement their bullying policies. It may be that certain companies have anti-bullying prices, but fail to adequately use them.

2.      “Get everything in writing. […] Request written statements from both the victim and the accused bully, as well as any witnesses. […] Written documentation about the event can protect your company from liability or wrongful termination charges.” In the long run, this tip can prove to be beneficial, especially to bullies. For example, during a rehab program bullies may be asked to review their previous bullying action. Perhaps the aforementioned review will help deter future bullying actions.

3.      “Encourage immediate reporting. Make sure […] employees know who they can approach to report a case of bullying, and encourage workers to speak up as soon as possible.” Overall, I believe this is the most beneficial and productive anti-bullying tip because it encompasses the problems I have found and identified within bullying. This tip does not only advocate the recognition of bullying as a problem, it also advocates action. As previously stated, it may be the case that certain settings do have anti-bullying policies and people who recognize bullying actions. However it is important to keep in mind that if these people fail to act it renders the aforementioned anti-bullying policies as useless.

Future Action Against Bullying

Today I will finish discussing the academic journal article, “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools” by Maria el Mar Badia Martin. Badia Martin states that “existing research gives a number of pointers as to how to improve intervention effectiveness [against bullying] in the future.” As a result, on this occasion I will discuss the future of school bullying, including topics that, according to Badia Martin, should be focused on when creating strategies against school bullying.

Badia Martin states that presently “anti-bullying materials often emphasize the more obvious physical and direct verbal forms [of bullying].” As a result, Badia Martin believes that more attention should be paid to “girls bullying, […rumor]-spreading, and social exclusion.” In my opinion, focusing on indirect forms of bullying, such as rumor spreading, will continue to increase in importance. As technology advances, this type of bullying is becoming more prevalent and increasingly easier to commit. Thus bullying committed through technology and social media is bound to increase. As a result, I believe researchers should work on creating strategies that aim to prevent bullying committed through the use of technology and social media, before it becomes a huge problem.

In a previous blog, I expressed my belief that researchers should focus on creating anti-bullying strategies aimed at transforming “Neutral Outsiders” into “Defenders”. Badia Martin seems to share this belief because she expresses that “peer support schemes can aim to turn ‘bystanders’ into ‘defenders’.” Badia Martin also states that “since roles take time to get established, starting anti-bullying work early, including, for example, awareness raising and assertiveness training in infant and junior schools, may be important.” In other words, Badia Martin believes that anti-bullying strategies should be implemented at an early age. This statement seems to support a claim I made  in a previous blog in which I stated that the way to stop a problem, such as bullying, is to prevent it from ever developing and occurring.

The text notes that although “teachers have good knowledge about some aspects of bullying [, they…] do not feel fully equipped to tackle it." In fact, the text states that “since 1996, several successful legal actions have been taken by pupils or their parents against schools in which they were persistently bullied.” As a result, I believe that strategies aimed at reducing school bullying should focus on ensuring that teachers are equipped with adequate strategies and methods for addressing school bullying. Badia Martin seems to share my opinion because she states that a challenge “is to ensure that school policies form a sound base for further action, informed by the continuing research on the issue.” The text states that although “some schools now have an anti-bullying policy; […] there is no clear evidence that the quality or content of [the] anti-bullying policies, in themselves, predict [victimization] rates."

Badia Martin acknowledges that “schools have a vital role in reducing bullying.” However, Badia Martin also notes that “wider society; parenting skills and [behaviors]; portrayals of violence in the mass media; and attitudes to aggression, bullying, and violence in society, the workplace (including among teachers), and the local community,” also have an influence in reducing bullying.  In my opinion, this is an important idea to keep in mind. As previously stated, in another blog, there is no “clear cut solution” or “one-size-fits-all solution” that will be able to get rid of school bullying in its entirety because each school has its own unique context. As a result, each school  will need to create its own unique strategy that works at effectively diminishing school bullying. Keeping Badia Martin's aforementioned characteristics in mind will ultimately help researchers develop effective strategies for reducing school bullying.

Coping Strategies for Bullying and Their Effectiveness

In today’s blog I will discuss bullying coping strategies presented within “The causes and nature of bullying and social exclusion in schools” by Maria el Mar Badia Martin. According to Badia Martin, the success of bullying coping strategies “varies and is age dependent and gender dependent.” However, one consensus that seems to be reached by various studies is that “non-assertive [coping] strategies such as crying are less successful than ignoring or seeking help.” What Badia Martin seems to highlight is that the success of bullying coping strategies varies by school. In other words, a bullying coping strategy that works within one school does not necessarily mean that it will be equally effective or successful within another school. The text seems to support my interpretation because it states that “the success of [students] seeking help [for bullying] will depend on the school context.”

Badia Martin states that an “important part of school context appears to be the existence of peer support systems,” which can encourage students to seek for help from “peer supporters, teachers or others.” According to the text, “there has been [a] growing interest in peer support and mediation as an approach to bullying.” However, the text acknowledges that “more evaluation research is needed [on the success of the aforementioned approach.]" In addition, the text points out several problems that can arise with peer support systems, “due to […] hostility to peer helpers from other pupils; difficulties in recruiting boys as peer supporters; issues of power sharing with staff; and ensuring sufficient time and resources for proper implementation.” The text notes that, so far, evaluations of peer support methods suggest “clear benefits for the peer supporters themselves, and general improvement of the school climate; but specific benefits for victims of bullying remain to be proven.” In fact, “evaluations of active listening/counseling-based approaches [have] found that the majority of peer supporters [report] benefits arising from the interpersonal skills and teamwork acquired in training;” users of peer support systems report that “peer supporters [offer] helpful interventions;” and most pupils and teachers believe that “the service [of active listening/counseling-based approaches is] having [a positive] impact on the school as a whole.”

While I agree that the support and guidance offered by peer support systems can be extremely beneficial to victims of bullying, I believe that the existence of peer support systems is not enough. In essence, I think it is a mistake if researchers and educators believe that the creation of peer support systems is the answer to diminishing bullying. In my opinion, an important question researchers should focus on is: How can schools encourage victims of bullying to use bullying coping strategies, such as peer support systems. What good is it if schools have peer support systems, but the victims of bullying refuse to use them?