Preventing Workplace Discrimination and Bullying

This study analyzes workplace discrimination and bullying in an Australian organization. It explores the impact of such behavior on employees and organizations and provides strategies to prevent and address the issue.

Running head: MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
Managerial Decision Making
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Abstract:
Employees spends a significant part of the day regularly at work and can be affected
by workplace stressors. The stressors can impact their performance as well as mental and
physical wellbeing. Even though it might not be possible to remove all forms of stressors
from the workplace, it is still vital that the exposure to stress be minimized. The study
analyses an important workplace stressor in an Australian organization and using a problem
solving cycle, identify and develop solutions to the problem and thereby develop plans for its
implementation. In the given case scenario, the identified problem in the workplace was a
behavior of bullying and discrimination against the employees by coworkers and managers.
Such behavior was reported mostly against the nonwhite immigrants and indigenous
Australians. The study outlines the main challenges associated with such behavior and how it
impacts the employees and organizations, supporting by findings from different theories and
evaluates various strategies that can be used to prevent such behavior in the organization. The
main strategies that were identified using which discriminatory behavior and bullying can be
stopped in the organization included development of strong policies, developing effective
reporting process, developing effective work culture through diversifying the workplace and
providing training and counselling to staff and managers.

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Contents
Abstract:.....................................................................................................................................1
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Background of the problem:.......................................................................................................4
Problem definition:.....................................................................................................................5
Solution Generation:..................................................................................................................7
Solution Evaluation:...................................................................................................................7
Implementation and action plan:................................................................................................9
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................10
References:...............................................................................................................................12

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Introduction:
Most working people spend one thirds of their day at work and being in the
workplace. Due to the prolonged time being spent in the workplace, problems in the
workplace can be source of stress for the employees due to continual and regular exposure to
the stressors (Marchington, 2016). These stressors can lead to adverse psychological impact
on the employee who can affect their performance, job satisfaction and emotional well being
(Fathi et al., 2014). Makambe and Pellissier (2014) pointed out that even though it is not
practically feasible to ensure every employee in an organization to working in perfect
harmony, without any conflicts or problems and nor is it possible to address and solve every
challenge faced by every employees in the workplace, it is essential to ensure that such
stressors be minimized and strategies developed to prevent avoidable circumstances that can
lead to conflict or stress among the employees or cause disruption to work. Doing so can also
help to improve employee satisfaction, retention and organizational productivity (Chen et al.,
2016).
The aim of this study is to analyze a workplace challenge in an Australian company
that have resulted in a decline in employee’s job satisfaction and productivity, identify and
evaluate solutions to resolve the issue and developing an action plan for its implementation
using the five step problem solving cycle (Van Aken & Berends, 2018).

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Figure: Problem solving cycle (source: Van Aken & Berends, 2018)
Background of the problem:
The case scenario analyzed in this study is on an Australian company where acts of
discrimination and bullying have occurred against several employees, as a result of which the
job satisfaction of the employees have reduced significantly and have impacted the work
performance. Studies have shown that bullying and discrimination are still very much
rampant in many Australian companies. Moreover, According to Safework Australia, 39% of
mental and psychological health problems among employees are caused due to harassment,
bullying, discrimination and workplace violence; 11% of workers have faced unfair and
discriminatory treatment based on gender or ethnicity, while one in every three women and
every five men developed mental health condition due to exposure to bullying and
discrimination (safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2018). The problems of bullying and discrimination
have also been widely reported on several news articles. ABC reported that about half of all
Australians have experienced workplace bullying at some point in their lives and moreover,
the problem exists in almost every workplace in Australia and employees have no choice but
to bear such behavior from their co-workers silently (Powell, 2018; Turner, 2018).
Understan
ding the
backgroun
d of the
problem
Defining
the
problem
Generatin
g possible
solutions
Evaluating
solution to
identify
the most
appropriat
e one
Developing an
action plan to
implemenbt
the solution

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In the given case scenario, there have been several incidents of unlawful
discrimination and bullying. Such incidents have mostly occurred against individuals from
Indigenous as well as immigrant communities by individuals from the Non Indigenous white
communities. The behavior includes discrimination by the management that affected the
professional growth of the employees, bullying from co workers and threats of physical harm
on many occasions. Despite several complaints being made by many employees, the
management failed to act on the complaints and investigate the matter or reprimand the
accused. Such actions have led to poor employee satisfaction, increased a sense of insecurity
and emotional stress and have adversely impacted the workplace culture as well as
organizational productivity (Farr-Wharton et al., 2017).
Problem definition:
Discrimination can be understood as any form of unjust or prejudiced treatment
against people on the basis of racial, cultural or gender differences creating a sense of
distinction and separation between the groups (Pulido et al., 2018). According to Graham et
al. (2018), discrimination is a form of ‘disadvantageous’ consideration or treatment against
people where they might be treated worse than others and can be a source of oppression (Oelz
et al., 2015; Gandy, 2016). Discriminatory behavior can be of three types: realistic
competition (where the discriminatory behavior is caused by a self interest that aims to
maximize access to resources for the in-group), social competition (where the discriminatory
behavior is driven by a sense of self esteem and social/racial/cultural superiority and aims to
achieve a higher social status for the in group) and consensual discrimination (where the
discriminatory behavior is driven by a differences in the status and hierarchical position of
the group thereby favoring groups with higher status) (Daoud et al., 2018). Discriminatory
behavior can be based on differences in race, ethnicity, caste, gender, disabilities, language
differences, nationality, religion, socio-economic and socio-cultural status (Greenwald &

6MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
Pettigrew, 2014). According to ‘Labelling Theory’, discrimination causes a mental
categorization of people based on these differences, creating stereotypic views about others
(people in the out-group) and stigmatize others based on the stereotypic views, thereby
‘labeling’ them (Fasoli et al., 2015).
Bullying can be understood as an aggressive form of discriminatory behavior in
which an individual (bully) might be insulting, intimidating or physically assaulting others
based on their differences (Smith & Thompson, 2017). Bullying can also involve the usage of
abusive or offensive language, humiliating or belittling others, making unjustified criticisms
or make rude jokes based on stereotypical views (Einarsen et al., 2018). According to the Fair
Work Amendment Act 2013, workplace bullying is any type of behavior that is repetitive and
unreasonable towards others and puts at risk the health and safety of the individuals being
bullied (Legislation.gov.au, 2013).
According to Olsen et al. (2017) and Samnani and Singh (2014), discrimination and
bullying can reduce the confidence of the workers (experiencing or exposed to such
behavior); increase anxiety, fear and stress among them; can cause depressive symptoms;
reduce their self esteem; adversely impact personal life and relationships; increase
absenteeism from work; reduces the sense of trust on the co-workers; reduce job satisfaction
levels and even lead to physical symptoms such as headache, sleep difficulties; back ache and
even ulcers (Verkuil et al., 2015). Thus it can be said that such ‘disadvantageous’ behavior
can reduce productivity of the employees and thus have an overall adverse impact on the
organizational performance (Samnani & Singh, 2014). The Australian Human Rights
Commission defines workplace bullying as any form of verbal or physical abuse like
screaming, yelling and usage of offensive language as well as psychological abuse (even if its
subtle), assigning impossible tasks to employees and deliberately cause inconvenience to the
employees. It also states that the employers have the liability for any acts of bulling in the

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workplace by their employees, which is termed as ‘vicarious liability’ and therefore has the
responsibility of preventing such behavior (humanrights.gov.au, 2018).
Solution Generation:
Acts of bulling and discrimination in a workplace can be addressed and prevented
using different types of approaches that can dissuade individuals to exhibit such behaviors.
The approaches can be through education, penalties, remedial, positive or negative
reinforcements, empowerment or guidance (Johnson, 2015; Nienhaus et al., 2016; McDonald
et al., 2015). Discussed below are some possible solutions that can be used in the selected
organization to prevent discriminatory or bullying behavior:
 Developing strong policies against discrimination and bullying:
 Developing clear procedures to report and address incidents related to bullying and
discrimination by anyone in the organization:
 Providing training for the employees on workplace ethics, etiquettes and behavior
 Developing a positive work culture based on respect, cultural diversity and empathy
 Considering bullying and discriminatory behavior as a psychological health problem
and providing psychological interventions for individuals showing such behavior:
 Implementing an ‘open door’ policy to encourage every employee to approach the
management for their concerns
 Providing training for the management to identify signs of bullying and
discrimination:
 Use independent authorities to audit the workplace culture and investigate incidents of
bullying and discrimination
 Supporting and promoting workplace diversity
(Johnson, 2015; Nienhaus et al., 2016; McDonald et al., 2015)

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Solution Evaluation:
According to Nienhaus et al. (2016), workplace discrimination and bullying can
involve various types of behaviors and practices that can adversely impact the health,
wellbeing and productivity of the employees. Such behavior can exist at various levels in the
organization and therefore can be a challenge for the management to address and prevent
(Johnson, 2015). It is therefore vital to utilize a combination of various approaches to
mitigate the adverse impacts of such behavior and to ensure the protection of the employees
against such behavior and facilitate reporting such incidents and prevent its recurrence
(McDonald et al., 2015). In the given scenario, many of the solutions identified above can be
implemented. Discussed below is the evaluation of the best approaches:
Strong policies against discrimination and bullying: Wall et al. (2018) pointed out those
effective workplace policies that clearly outline the behavior that can be considered as
bullying and discriminatory, the disciplinary actions that can be taken against such behavior,
the responsibilities of the employer and employees to prevent bullying and discrimination at
workplace can significantly help to reduce such practice at workplace.
Effective reporting process: According to Carter et al. (2015), developing an effective
process for reporting incidents of bullying and discrimination can help to understand the
frequency of such behavior, identify the individuals responsible and thus notify the
management. However, Copeland and Henry (2017) opined that it is important to ensure the
reports are accurate and unbiased and informed with proper investigation into the event.
Moreover, empowering every employee with the ability to report such incidents can help to
ensure that every such incident is reported (Carter et al., 2015).
Work culture and workplace diversity: It has been suggested by Samnani and Singh (2014),
that a positive work culture that is developed on the values of respect, understanding and

9MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
empathy can help to prevent incidents of workplace discrimination or bullying and support a
dignified behavior towards the co-workers. Also, incorporating diversity in the workplace can
also help to instill a sense of respect towards cultural differences and therefore prevent
discrimination and bullying due to cultural, socio-cultural, ethnic, linguistic or religious
differences (Guillaume et al., 2017). However, it should also be considered that a diverse
workplace can also increase the risks of interpersonal conflicts due to difference in views and
opinions and therefore it is important to have effective conflict management systems (Davis
et al., 2016).
Training and psychological counseling: Escartín (2016) suggested that training can help to
increase awareness among the employees about the adverse impacts of bullying and
discrimination on the health and wellbeing of the employees as well as on organizational
performance. It can also help the managers to identify signs of bullying and discriminatory
behavior in the workplace and thus help to prevent them. Psychological interventions can also
be useful to prevent such behavior through behavioral modifications.
Implementation and action plan:
Discussed below is the action plan that can be used to implement the identified
solutions in the workplace in order to prevent workplace discrimination and bullying:
Workplace policy: In the given scenario, the organization lacks strong policies against
discrimination and bullying. The policies should clearly outline behaviors which can be
considered as bullying and discriminatory as well as the penalties of showing such behavior
at workplace. The policies should emphasize on the code of conduct which has to be followed
by every member of the organization. Moreover, the policies should also outline the national
and state laws that prohibit such behavior and the legal consequences of such actions (Wall et
al., 2018).

10MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
Incident Reporting: The organization also does not have an effective system for reporting
incidents related to bullying and discrimination. Effective reporting procedures can enable
better reporting of such issues and help the management to monitor such behavior.
Standardized workplace incident reports and feedback forms can be filled up by the
employees that can be filed anonymously can encourage the employees to speak up and share
their opinions (Copeland & Henry, 2017).
Workplace Diversity: The organization can further increase the workplace diversity by
employing more people from culturally, ethnically, socially diverse communities. Such an
aspect can be also a part of the organizational policy that can outline a target for the human
resources on the levels of diversity that needs to exist in the workforce (Samnani & Singh,
2014).
Training: Training can be provided to the employees on workplace ethics and etiquettes and
help they develop and maintain a sense of respect towards individuals from diverse
backgrounds. Training can also be given on how to develop team bonding and interpersonal
relations as well as how to prevent interpersonal conflicts. Training can be given to the
management to help them identify early signs of bullying and discrimination at workplace
and on effective conflict management (Escartín, 2016).
Psychological Interventions: Bulling and discriminatory behavior can be considered as a
psychological problem and psychological intervention programs can be provided to
employees who have shown such behavior in order to prevent its recurrence. Counseling can
also be given to individuals who have been subjected to such behavior in order to prevent and
manage stress and anxiety among them (Escartín, 2016).
Conclusion:

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Discrimination and bullying are behavior that can be disadvantageous towards people
and can be driven by differences in culture, ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs and
social status. Such behavior can be a significant stressor for individuals victimized by such
behavior and can cause mental as well as physical health problems and reduce job satisfaction
and performance. This problematic behavior is still widely seen in Australian workplaces.
The given case study of an Australian organization had several incidents of discrimination
and bullying against the employees by management and co-workers that have adversely
impacted the employee retention and organizational performance. The employers have a
vicarious liability towards such actions and should develop solutions to prevent them. In the
study various possible solutions have been outlined and analyzed for their effectiveness.
Based on this, an action plan have been developed that can help to prevent such behavior in
the organization and develop a positive workplace culture.

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