Bullying

What is bullying?

Bullying is when a person is repeatedly and over a period of time subjected to unpleasant and/or degrading acts against which they cannot easily defend themselves. Such repeated acts can be perceived as bullying regardless of whether the bully is merely being inconsiderate or wittingly engaging in bullying.

Teasing which is perceived by both parties as good-natured and single negative acts do not constitute bullying.

Work-related bullying can take the form of, for example, depriving the employee of responsibility, non-disclosure of necessary information, excessive monitoring of an individual’s performance, the delegation of insurmountable tasks or the setting of unreasonable targets and deadlines.

Personal bullying is, for example, being ignored or excluded from a group, gossiping and the spreading of rumours about an individual, being scolded, shouted at, ridiculed, reminded about faults all the time, or being met with hostility or silence when asking about something or trying to start a conversation.

Two types of bullying

Bullying often arises from conflicts between colleagues or between a manager and an employee. Conflicts may centre on how to perform a particular task, or how to prioritise scarce resources. If such conflicts are not resolved, they can develop into serious personal conflicts with the parties fighting each other with all available means.

Another type of bullying is characterised by one (or more) individual(s) becoming the accidental victim(s) of other people’s aggression. The victims usually have not done anything to trigger the bullying. They simply found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Reasons for bullying

There can be many reasons for bullying in the workplace. Many instances of ‘random’ bullying can be ascribed to a workplace culture of being tough on new employees or people who are different. This may result in bullying of minorities. Conflict-related bullying may be due to poor organisation or planning of work. It can also be rooted in an unhealthy psychological work environment characterised for example by employees having little influence or little control over their work, by a high pressure of work, low levels of information or an unclear or authoritarian management style.

Who bullies?

Both colleagues and managers can be guilty of bullying. Bullying among colleagues is most widespread. Bullying by a manager is often perceived as being particularly stressing because the bullying is backed by power, for example because it is not possible for the employee to ask his or her superior for help. Managers can also be bullied by employees.

Consequences of bullying

Being bullied in the workplace is a very stressing experience. The consequences for the mental and physical health of the victim are very serious and often of a long-term nature.

If the bullying is effectively stopped, the reactions are usually of a temporary nature. If not, the mental and physical reactions may become chronic or result in the victim becoming unable to work.

Bullying can affect everybody

It is not just the person being bullied who is affected. Bullying can also undermine the well-being of the bullied person’s colleagues. In fact, the entire organisation may be affected. For example, in workplaces where bullying takes place, productivity is often low and absence due to illness high. Bullying can therefore be a financial burden for the whole organisation.

What can you do?

It is always a good idea to think about what you say to other people, and how you say it. If you are unsure whether somebody may have misunderstood something which you have said, you can ask. Respecting other people is important – even if they are different to you.

What can you do if you are bullied?

Contact your superior/head of department, union representative, occupational health and safety representative or the HR department where Marianne Nielsen, Pia Fonsholt, Karen Vestergaard Petersen and Henriette Lieblein are ready to help.

No matter whom of the above you contact, the person or department will treat your enquiry as confidential, and any steps to resolve the situation will always be agreed with you in advance.

The above persons can help find solutions related to you and your work situation, thereby ensuring that you are able to carry out your work on proper conditions and terms. The solutions will vary depending on the people involved and the situation, but may for example involve:

• Mediation if the bullying behaviour was not decidedly intentional
• Disciplinary sanctions against the person responsible for the bullying: disciplinary interview, formal warning or dismissal.
• Change of department, superior or supervisor.
  
  

In addition to such organisational measures, victims of bullying may need help to cope with the personal consequences of having been subjected to bullying.
Under a counselling scheme set up by the University of Copenhagen, you can contact a consultancy centre anonymously 24/7 on any day of the year for a referral to, for example, a psychologist.

Prescriba
Tel. +45 7022 1266
 






Source: National Research Centre for the Working Environment

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