Workplace Bullying in Office Space Movie (1999)

This article discusses workplace bullying in the movie Office Space (1999) and its effects on employees. It highlights various instances of workplace bullying in the movie and offers suggestions on how to address bullying in the workplace. The article also discusses the psychological and physical effects of workplace bullying on employees.

Running head: WORKPLACE BULLYING IN OFFICE SPACE MOVIE 1
Workplace Bullying in Office Space Movie
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Workplace Bullying in Office Space Movie (1999)
Bullying is a serious issue in the workplace. Workplace bullying does not only hurt those
involved but the entire workplace resulting in lost productivity which costs organizations dearly.
Bullying is a common issue in nearly all organizations as about one in six employees have been
bullied. Workplace bullying may entail verbal, social, physical or psychological abuse by an
employee to another employee, employer to an employee or vice versa. In most cases, bullying is
usually carried out to undermine an individual through humiliation. The movie Office Space is a
perfect example of various variations of workplace bullying.
Workplace bullying in the movie is highlighted when management decides to eliminate
Michael and Samir’s job without informing them (Judge et al., 2002). They learn about the
elimination through their colleague, Peter, who relays the news to them. Milton who is a loyal
employee also gets bullied by the management when the management decides to lay him off
without informing him. The management even decides to move Milton’s office into the basement
and decides to cut off his paycheck without warning. This is a workplace bullying situation.
Milton's boss is deceitful by not informing him that he is being laid off. The decision by Milton's
boss to move his office to the basement is a deliberate move aimed at hurting Milton's feelings.
Finally, Milton's boss shows no remorse for what he does to Milton because he knows that the
boss-subordinate relationship he has with Milton makes it hard for Milton to confront him.
People who are bullied often experience serious psychological and physical ailments
which can adversely affect their work and home life. They tend to feel scared, stressed and
depressed. Bullying can also make people lack confidence in themselves as well as take away
their happiness which often make people irritable and results in bitterness. In the movie, Michael
and Samir who are being bullied by the management are probably feeling irritated and bitter.

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Together with their colleagues, Peter, they decide to take revenge by infecting the organization's
accounting system with a computer virus designed to channel a small fraction of the company's
money to a bank account. The fraction channeled although small would result into a substantial
loss in the long run. Michael and Samir also react to being bullied by stealing the organization's
frequently malfunctioning computer and smashing it in a field as a way of venting their
frustrations.
I think the bullying behavior offers the bully satisfaction in their ability to attack others
while it also makes the bully feel more powerful than others. If I were in the situation of being
bullied, my response would be to approach the bully to tell the person that the behavior is
unwanted. If I witnessed a colleague experiencing workplace bullying, I would befriend the
colleague and advise the person to document all the bullying incidences then approach the bully
to tell the person that the behavior is unacceptable. If the behavior continues, I would advise the
colleague to report the person to management for intervention.
As a manager, if I witness a bullying situation among employees, I would address it the
right way while following the company's guidelines for addressing workplace bullying. If I
reported a workplace bullying situation and am not taken seriously, I would document everything
then speak out and seek help from outside my employer. I would support a colleague who
reported a bullying situation by offering them moral and practical support. I would also offer
them political support by using my power and influence within an organization to help them
tackle the problem.

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References
Judge, M., Livingston, R., Aniston, J., Root, S., Cole, G., Naidu, A., & Herman, D. (2002).
Office space. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.