Workplace Bullying: Identification and Intervention

This project discusses workplace bullying, its impact on employees, and the importance of addressing it. It provides information about the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act and its role in dealing with workplace bullying. The project also offers ways to identify instances of workplace bullying and strategies to intervene. Resources and tools for tackling workplace bullying are also provided.

Occupational Health
and Safety

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Research......................................................................................................................................1
Psychosocial Hazard...................................................................................................................1
Outcomes in the workplace.........................................................................................................2
Interventions in the workplace....................................................................................................2
SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................3
RESOURCES..................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
The following project is based upon Workplace Bullying which is an act of being
mistreated by other individuals present at work place in terms of emotional or physical harm. It
consists of tactics like non verbal, verbal, psychological and physical abuse along with
humiliation and mockery. The project consists of information about Alberta Occupational
Health and Safety Act along with overview of workplace bullying. Further it contains 5 ways to
identify instances of workplace bullying and 4 ways to deal with it.
Research
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act consists of the duties as well as obligation
which seek to protect along with encourage the occupational health and safety of workers all
throughout Alberta. The act tends to provide an overview of the responsibility as well as role
held by employer, employees and other individuals associated with the workplace. Section 1(q)
of Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act deals with workplace bullying and lays down the
measures by which this unethical and unacceptable in the work place. As per the organisational
point of view, it is important to encounter workplace bullying as this is an act which if gets
known to the public can bring bad image to the company. This should be the prime responsibility
of OHS officer or HR Professional as the avoidance of workplace bullying would assist the
entity in creation of a positive working atmosphere.
Psychosocial Hazard
Bullying is determined as the unreasonable, uncalled and repeated unethical behavioural
conduct towards a specific employee or a group of individuals, which result in imposition of risk
to their health and safety. From employees perspective it can be said that workplace bullying is
required to be identified by management team in order to maintain decorum and ethical conduct
at the workplace. This will ensure health and safety of employees at all times.
Stressor can be identified as an event or circumstance which a person perceives to be a
threat, precipitates either adaptation or the stress response. Stress may emerge from good as well
as bad experience and thus the effects can be affirmative or adverse. However, one thing that is
obviated is that stressors result in decrease in performance of employees at workplace. Use of
Bullying Risk Management Tool is a key metric that will provide assistance in gaining support
for tackling Workplace Bullying.
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Outcomes in the workplace
There are a number of ways through which an enterprise can observe workplace bullying.
Some of these ways are identified and listed as follows:-
 Inspection is regarded as one of the most prominent ways through which workplace
bullying can be identified. By listening to the queries and complaints of employees, bullying instances can be
effectively determined. Observation is another effective way through which the organisation can gain knowledge
of workplace bullying taking place within the company.
 Enquiring staff regarding the stressors encountered by them during the work is another
handy way through which workplace bullying can be determined.
 Looking out for signs of isolation or cutting off from interactions, exhibited by a person
at workplace.
Interventions in the workplace
The ways through which workplace bullying can be tackled are explained underneath:-
Conducting training sessions
Herein, a company provides Anti Harassment training to employees so that the
individuals can identify the instances of harassment and communicate the same to the top
management. The top management would then take strict measures to ensure such events do not
emerge in future.
Hazard investigation
Hereby, the organisation conducts an in depth investigation into the matter of workplace
bullying by carrying out interaction with the victim as well as the alleged bully. This will provide
the company with exact reason behind the occurrence of bullying and would aid the entity in
taking measures through which such reason does not lead to bullying in future course of time.
Strong compliance
Here, the organisation ensures the development of a positive environment as well as
adherence to anti-bullying policy by employees at all the times. This will instil a sense of fear
within the workforce and restrain them from bullying someone at workplace. The dismissal of
those employees will take place who are found repeatedly found guilty of this workplace crime.
Imposition of fines
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The organisation would be penalising employees who would be found guilty of bullying
other individuals. As a result of this, the company would be able to control the cases of
workplace bullying.
SUMMARY
On the basis of above discussion, it can be identified that workplace bullying is an
unethical or unreasonable behavioural conduct with an individual or a group at the workplace. It
is important to counter this action by strict policies, development of positive workplace culture,
provision of training and many more. Further, it has been analysed that Alberta Occupational
Health and Safety Act lays down certain practices and measures through which this unethical
conduct can be handled in an effective manner.
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RESOURCES
Chapter 1 – 8 of the course textbook. Kelloway, E.K. Francis, L. & Gatien, B. (2017)
Management of Occupational Health and Safety. 7th Ed. Toronto. Nelson.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act Retrieved From:
http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/O02P1.pdf
Alberta OHS Code Exxplanation Guide. Retrieved
From:https://ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/li001
The CSA Standard Z1003-13 (R2018) Retrieved From:
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/mentalhealth_checklist_phs.html
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