Experiences with Workplace Bullying Policy - Essay Example

Name: Institution Affiliation: Professor: Course: Date: Article Review Introduction Bullying is a common phenomenon at workplaces and most workers fears it and seek ways to avoid it or avenues to deal with it when it occurs. Harrington, Rayner, and Warren's Human Resource Management Journal article offer some signals and strategies to prevent and deal with workplace bullying and outcomes. In most settings, bullying can be inherently predictable. However, despite the fact that bullying is a common phenomenon in workplaces, it does not automatically mean that HR will prevent and deal with it successfully. The article emphasizes on anti-bullying policy as pre-incident approaches to prevent and deal with bullying. Subsequently, the concepts show how HR manager and other managers apply strategies to prevent, solve and some factors that make its hard to address bullying. Methods Used The authors use both the secondary and primary data to understand how HR practitioners deal with workplace bullying. The qualitative study and the use of questionnaire are useful to get a bigger sample and understand commonly used methods when identifying, reporting and assessing bullying incidences. Combining secondary research and primary one helped to address a certain and unique gap in the literature about the relationship between managers and HR practitioner in handling bullying. Clear data analysis and discussion assist in offering clear evidence to the research about the study outcomes. Outcomes The Nature of Bullying The article by Harrington, Rayner & Warren (2012) argues that bullying is common as it moves through human culture. However, despite it being common, some workers tolerate it, most find it unpleasant, and others are destroyed by it. Some workers can appear calm in the presence of bullying, but that does not mean that the problem is solved. If bullying becomes common, it goes against the values of teamwork and affects the output of workers. Bullying can arise due to competition for desired positions, promotions, and gender and personality differences. The tendency of workplaces to be dominated by various interests can make bullying pervasive. The HR manager faces bullying as an internal threat to workers. Consequently, most HR practitioners provide HRM policies to managers and then support the managers as they implement them. However, the article reveals that various researchers find the judicious execution of policies a critical process. Employee's perceptions are in most cases influenced by the way they see fairness, integrity, predictability, reliability and openness with the managers handling the implementation. Each stakeholder's in the triad, HR practitioner, and manager and employee response determine how anti-bullying policy delivers its mandate in the workplace. Dealing with Workplace Bullying The article argues that anyone is prone to bullying. Workers, men, women, lawless and law-abiding and the managers face bullying in different contexts and due to various reasons. Ordinary workers facing bullying in the workplace can respond by breaking the policy, leaving the job. Bullying was once a leading cause of women's deaths and homicide in workplaces. In turn, responding to bullying is a critical point the article focuses on and can help to identify and avoid unpleasant outcomes. The approaches prescribed in the article are imported to individuals, HR managers, and practitioner in an enforcement order. First, it notes that is not possible to eliminate bullying in workplaces but preventive and proactive approaches help workers relate better and with necessary skills that help them deal with bullying. However, despite the authoritative role of anti-bullying policy and structure to implement it, people who often bully rely on pre-incident indicators that highlight applicable strategies that determine the outcomes of their cases. On one hand, it might be their perception of the manager's integrity in handling previous cases or violent relationship with a workmate person. Under it, some workers follow some steps to know how workplace policy will be applied to individual and collectively. If it is haphazardly applied, it is less likely for people to avoid it but if systematic, they are less likely to be violent to another person. The article emphasizes on the role of trust between the HR practitioner and the managers that implement it. First, HR practitioner may fear that the manager may have forced teaming by forcing an offender to bully. A manager can imply common traits that make some workers victims and lead to the person sharing such predicaments. Secondly, the manager may lead some worker to act politely and friendly that manipulate a targeted victim to bullying. Thirdly, if the manager offered too many details to some workers, it can be hard to follow. No matter how a manager uses more details to appear more credible, they might still be targeting a victim. Fourthly, bullied workers are potentially violent, and some can use typecasting like an insult to target victim. A victim, in turn, feels an urge to counteract insults engaging in a conversation that lead to violence. HR practitioner understands that some workers bully when provoked as a way of proving the other worker untrue. Fifthly, some bullying incidences arise from soliciting a victim. One worker may anticipate another, often a victim, to be obliged and reciprocate bullying. Some managers may report a worker who they perceive as a threat as a refusal to accept the rejection. The article shows that HR practitioners cannot fully depend on managers' bullying report to decide the fate of workers. In turn, they go on to use their approach, assessment systems that help screen any inappropriate communications and assessing the risks. HR practitioner can do it for different abuse situations by posing some questions predetermined answers. The value of the answers expresses the situation and offer a clear report highlighting the critical factors for bullying. HR practitioners have their ways of detecting potential threats and bullying in various situations. Their detective skills can accurately identify potential bullying. Strengths and Limitations of the Article Article's Strong Points First, the article introduces bullying in common, pervasive, with a high frequency of occurrence and unavoidable. As it depends on three stakeholders, every worker is a victim. The article reveals some critical facts that allow workers to see bullying as a problem in other workplaces but everywhere. All workers, managers, and HRP are included. Consequently, even the controversial workers can ascertain that bullying can arise and is a reality that helps understand typical causes and responses to workplace bullying threat. It shows that HR practitioner and managers are not the ultimate law enforcement team that help prevent or handle workplace bullying (Thirlwall, 2015). However, it is called on everyone to be part of identifying the policies and contributing to its implementation to reduce its possibility. Bullying can create anxiety in workplaces, and the presence of managers cannot make it stop. In turn, it shows the need for most HR practitioner to assume some forms decision-making process to protect victimized workers. Most managers may have hard feelings and biased leading many workers to take some forms and approaches to protect their rights leading to bullying (Cowan, 2012). It shows the necessity of having a cooperative approach to policy, implementation and solving prevalent bullying. The ultimate aim of the article was not to show that bullying is not easily solved at workplaces but more of stakeholders to accept its possibility, ensure it is successfully predicted and deal with when unavoidable (Cowan, 2011). Secondly, the article shows the fundamental role of HR practitioner in learning about the manager who is potentially bullying. Some form of mistrust should be considered as bias and discrimination impacts many parts of our lives in both the structured relationship at workplaces (Fox & Cowan, 2015). Any manager can potentially damage a worker, and if not dealt with appropriately good workers can be overcome by bullying. Ultimately, failure to handle bullying well can create anarchy. In turn, the matter should not be left totally to a manager to handle it. It presents bullying scenario in a simple critical process identifying the actors, factors that promote it and how to predict its occurrence and blame after inquiry to allow prevent bullying. In turn, the article is appropriate to help reduce and minimize risks of turn-over or sanctions to undeserving workers. Its ideas are can be applied in every workplace and by every HR practitioner. Criticism Though the article ideas and method show that dealing with bullying is straightforward and applicable, it cannot be of great value general workplace community. In an era where workplace settings have reduced the role of managers, most workers interact with other workers minimally making bullying almost impossible. The ideas and method can be more applicable to past workplace settings with line managers. Additionally, various HR managers use different methods to prevent and deal with bullying (Fox & Cowan, 2015). Conclusion Bullying is common in workplaces and can lead to maiming, death or suffering. The ultimate article aimed at offer solution to HR practitioner to deal with bullying. It provides some simple approaches for HR practitioner in an open workplace setting to detect and prevent adverse impacts of bullying. Though different HR manager uses different abilities and styles to approach bullying situations, the article's ideas are useful in anticipating and avoiding bullying. References Cowan, R. L. (2011). “Yes, We Have an Anti-bullying Policy, But…:” HR Professionals' Understandings and Experiences with Workplace Bullying Policy. Communication Studies, 62(3), 307-327. Cowan, R. L. (2012). It’s complicated: Defining workplace bullying from the human resource professional’s perspective. Management Communication Quarterly, 0893318912439474. Fox, S., & Cowan, R. L. (2015). Revision of the workplace bullying checklist: the importance of human resource management's role in defining and addressing workplace bullying. Human Resource Management Journal,25(1), 116-130. Harrington, S., Rayner, C., & Warren, S. (2012). Too hot to handle? Trust and human resource practitioners' implementation of anti‐bullying policy.Human Resource Management Journal, 22(4), 392-408. Thirlwall, A. (2015). Organisational sequestering of workplace bullying: Adding insult to injury. Journal of Management & Organization, 21(02), 145-158. Read More