Workplace Bullying

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the policy and guidelines with what the management actually does in order to prevent workplace bullying and assess whether the employees perceives the preventative steps regarding workplace bullying. Methodology: A public organization with governmental funding functioned as a case study for this research. In order to reach the study’s purpose, the data collection process in this study has been conducted through three main methods: 1) a review of the selected organization´s current policy and guidelines regarding workplace bullying, 2) a survey designed for employees and 3) a survey designed for management. Findings: The results of the study showed that there is an occurrence of workplace bullying within organization x, despite a clear approach and instructions on how to handle workplace bullying. The results also indicated that the managers participating in the study have a certain lack of knowledge and preparedness when it comes to managing workplace bullying. Finally, the results showed that the employees within organization x to some extent lack awareness concerning workplace bullying. Conclusion: The results of the study pointed to a gap between the organizations written documents concerning workplace bullying and the managers’ preparedness. It also showed that the communication is lacking in informing employees in issues connected to workplace bullying. Therefore it can be stated that the implementation of policy and guidelines has not reached all organizational members.