Research on Workplace Bullying

Industry Research Project
WORKPLACE BULLYING

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VAIBHAV ARYA
22508036
THE HOTEL SCHOOL MELBOURNE
SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY
Executive Summary
The organisation that has been chosen to conduct the research is Sash Japanese Pizza Bar, which
is an up-market restaurant in Melbourne. The aim of the research is to recommend solutions to
the issue that the organisation is facing in terms of workplace bullying. The objectives of this
research are to understand the reason why some people engaged in bullying others and how this
impacts staff in a negative way and how this situation can be changed or improved. The sample
size of the research is 25 people who are the current and past employees of the restaurant and the
tools that are employed to collect data are semi-structured interviews. The findings from
interviews and personal observation are presented in the findings and analysis section of the
paper. The sample included all of the staff in the organisation and therefore covered 100% of the
target population, because this is a small organization and the insights everyone are essential in
order to recommend remedies for the problem. It has been observed that the kitchen and the
departments associated with the kitchen are affected by workplace harassment and bullying due

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to work pressure and work stress. Recommendations have been provided in order to solve the
issue.

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background of the research.............................................................................................................3
About the company: Sash Japanese Pizza Bar................................................................................5
Problem statement...........................................................................................................................6
Research aim....................................................................................................................................8
Research objectives.........................................................................................................................8
Research questions...........................................................................................................................8
Significance of the research.............................................................................................................9
Literature review............................................................................................................................10
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................14
Research approach.....................................................................................................................14
Primary data collection..............................................................................................................15
Sample size................................................................................................................................15
Data analysis process.................................................................................................................16
Ethical considerations:...............................................................................................................17
Findings.........................................................................................................................................17
Dissimulation of the Data:.............................................................................................................24
Recommendations and conclusion................................................................................................29

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Introduction
The report investigates the issue of workplace bullying in the organization. There have been
instances of increased employee turnover and internal conflict within the workplace
environment. The organisation that has been chosen to conduct the research is Sash Japanese
Pizza Bar in Melbourne. The research follows an industry report format and includes all the
sections necessary to conduct effective research. The background of the research has been
included along with the aim and objective and the problem statement. This section is followed by
an explanation of the methodology that has been incorporated. The primary data collection tools
have been used to gather information which is analysed and concluded in the following segment.
Background of the research
The human resource of a business organisation has one of the most important roles in the daily
operations of the business; depending on the nature and scale of the business the responsibilities
of the staff members are allocated. It is essential for the management of the organisation to
ensure that work environment and the work surroundings are not only safe from any kind of
health hazards but it is also important to understand that the job satisfaction among the
employees is essential for staff retention (Stagg et al. 2013). There are many aspects which are
directly or indirectly responsible for an employee’s level of job satisfaction. Some of the
common issues that are observed to be the reason for resignation are: unhealthy relation with the
superior or colleagues, unsatisfactory work environment or unsatisfied job role. Human resource
management of an organisation is responsible for taking care and dealing with the aspects related
to all the employees of the company (Branch et al. 2013). This department is not only

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responsible for employing and retaining the staff member, but the performance of the employees
is also a duty of the Human resource management. One of the most prominent barriers in
ensuring job satisfaction among the employees is eliminating workplace bulling; it is an issue in
the work environment and has negative impacts on the employees. It does not only cause harm to
the employee but also impacts the goodwill of the company as well. Workplace bullying violates
the rules of work ethics, work environment and general code of ethics as well. Consistent
mistreatment of an individual which may be either physical or emotional or both during the
working hours by the people working in and around the individual can be considered to be
workplace bullying ((Koziol, 2018). Accordingly more than 50 percent of the respondents in a
study stated that they were unhappy with their job and are dissatisfied (Magee et al 2014) The
reasons for this may be varied but the workplace bullying has been a complaint that has seen
repeated escalations from the Australian employees. Workplace bullying is can be defined as the
consistent and irrational activities of an employee or group of employees directed towards a co-
worker or group of co-workers. This kind of behaviours can gravely impact the emotional and
physical condition of the person who is going through the situation. Some of the behavioural
patterns of workplace bullying are: unreasonable demands, teasing and spreading rumours. In
Australia 5 – 7% of employees have experienced workplace bullying within a 6 month
timeframe, furthermore 40% of the survey respondents report to have experienced workplace
bullying at some point in their career (Magee et al 2014). Therefore the topic of research that has
been chosen is workplace bullying. Some of the impacts of the workplace bullying are: reduced
performance, increased absenteeism, high employee turnover rate of the organisation etc. In a
study performed by the University of Wollongong states that, that workplace bullying has been
categorized as the unacceptable, unpredictable and undignified behaviour towards an a co-

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worker or a group of co-workers (Magee et al 2014). Bullying in the workplace can not only be
related to the professional aspect it can also be personal issues, this can be either experienced
from senior employees or may be from colleagues and peers as well. Bullying is a significant
issue in attaining job satisfaction and employee turnover in an organisation. Legal action against
the organisation can also be taken by the employee who may feel they have been racially
discriminated in the organisation (Branch et al. 2013).
About the company: Sash Japanese Pizza Bar
The Sash Japanese Pizza bar is an upmarket restaurant in Melbourne providing a unique menu.
Flavours and tastes from around the world are mixed with the contemporary and classic Japanese
flavour to serve the customers with an extraordinary culinary experience. The food that is offered
is not only tasty but also healthy (Sashrestaurant.com.au 2018). The location of the restaurant is
in a prime place and as Melbourne is a popular tourist zone the organisation has gained
popularity owing to the unique menu that is offered to the customers. The restaurant has also
received liquor license and serves cocktails and other alcoholic beverages. Some of the services
provided by the company are: casual dining, cocktail bar, Home Delivery to the consumers via
Deliveroo and UBEReats (Sashrestaurant.com.au 2018).
The lists of employees in the organisation are as follows:
Front of the house staff
Post Number
Managers 1

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Assistant manager 1
Head bartender 1
Junior Bartender 2
Hostesses 2
Waitresses 5
Waiters 4
Back of the house staff
Post Number
Full-Time Chefs 5
Casual Chefs 2
1 Housekeeper (Sashrestaurant.com.au 2018)
Problem statement
The problem being addressed in this study is workplace bullying. Fairwork Australia state that
workers have the right not to be bullied or harassed at work. However, there have been several
incidents of internal conflict and disagreement among the employees at Sash who are supposed
to work together, which in turn is negatively impacting the reputation of the restaurant. The
people who join the organisation have several complaints against the senior employees and their
behaviour towards the peers and the juniors. This situation has also affected the performance of
the employees in a negative way and in turn the service of the organisation. Bullying has been
recognized as an issue with the organisation and there is an increased rate of dissatisfied
employees in the organisation. The secondary issue that has been recognized in the organisation
is an increased rate of employee turnover which impacts the performance and reputation of the
company in the long run. The goal of this study in response to this problem, is to discover the
causes of workplace bullying at the restaurant and suggest solutions to eliminate bullying. There