CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKPLACE BULLYING

Fapohunda, (2013) explained that workplace bullying occurs in very many dissimilar
contexts and forms, the need arises to describe it using the key features the behaviour
possess. Workplace bullying is a pattern of hostile messages and abusive behaviors
persistently targeted at one or more persons in work settings that can involve work
obstruction, public humiliation, verbal abuse, threatening behaviour, and multiple forms of
intimidation. Amongst others, workplace bullying is characterized by repetition (occurs
regularly), duration (endures), escalation (increasing aggression), power disparity (the
target lacks the power to successfully defend themselves), and attributed intent.

Repetition

Workplace bullying is mostly a repeated behaviour though there are some singular events.
It often involves numerous hostile interactions and transactions (e.g. verbal abuse and
public humiliation coupled with social ostracism, work obstruction, and destructive
gossip).

Duration

Again, workplace bullying occurs frequently and extends over long periods of time.
Persistence makes bullying particularly harmful and corrosive, wearing down the targets’
defenses, social support, and health.

Escalation

Adams and Crawford (1992) affirms that workplace bullying is escalatory, starting with
occasional subtle, indirect insults or rude remarks and growing to more egregious and
frequent types of humiliation, criticism, or verbal abuse.

Power Disparity

Workplace bullying is also related to power disparity between offenders and targets,
whether bullies are peers or supervisors. Power disparity can result from how bullying
persistently wears down targets or can be structural in the form of the bullying boss. Power
is often regarded as the psychological basis for bullying. Bullying is an abuse of the power
relationship between the bully and the victim. It has to do with power, real or perceived
and it is used to make people do things they do not have to, or stop them doing things they
are entitled to do.

The view is two sided with the bully thinking they possess power to continue with
unsuitable behaviour and the prey thinking the bully has the power to make them feel
inadequate and intimidated. While target and witness resistance is common, and collective
resistance can sometimes stop bullying, individual workers are often unable to end abuse
once it has started. Power disparity becomes worse where multiple bullies work together
or others indirectly support bullies’ aggression. In such cases the resistance weakens and
power disparity intensifies. Since power is the major element of bullying, managers and
supervisors may sometimes be seen as bullies.

Power disparity in bullying situations is further improved by management’s responses or

non-responses to complaints. Oloko (2001) observes that when targets speak out, they can
be stigmatized, subjected to escalated abuse, or socially ostracized or the management may
fail to take any action. Ireti (2007) adds that others who see these developments often
become silent and unwilling to speak. Consequently, the power and oppression associated
with workplace bullying affects not only the targets but the bullies, witnesses, and
managers.

Attributed Intent

Workplace bullying brings in its wake humiliation, degradation, devaluation, loss of

professional reputation and eventual exit of the target from the organization with all the
concomitant, financial, career, health and psychological implications that one might expect
from a protracted traumatizing experience.

Source: Fapohunda, (2013)