Workplace Bullying: Impact on Google's Casual Employees and Solutions

This report investigates the issue of workplace bullying, focusing on the experiences of casual employees at Google. The study delves into the causes and manifestations of bullying behaviors, exploring their impact on employee motivation, job security, and overall performance. Drawing upon literature reviews and research methodologies, including qualitative analysis, the report examines the application of theories such as Social Exchange Theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to understand and address the problem. The findings highlight the negative consequences of bullying, including decreased productivity, reduced employee well-being, and increased attrition rates. The report concludes with a set of recommendations aimed at mitigating bullying incidents and fostering a healthier, more supportive work environment within Google, emphasizing the role of human resource management in implementing effective strategies to protect employees and improve workplace dynamics.

Running head: BULLYING AT WORKPLACE
BULLYING AT WORKPLACE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Bullying tends to form an effective part of the workplace environment and in line of this, various
measures need to be undertaken by the firm in order to deal with the bullying in the right manner and
mitigate it. The given research report is based on the case of Bullying of the casual employees which
takes place in Google. The Introduction sets out the overall objectives of the firm which is then followed
by the Review of Literature. Furthermore, in the literature review section, it has been analyzed that the
workplace bullying has affected the overall motivation of employees which affects the overall
productivity of the company and the performance of the individuals as well. It has been noticed that due
to the implementation of the Social Exchange Theory and the Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs Theory, the
different employees can be motivated and they should be treated as the asset of the company. The
employees should not be bullied as it decreases the productivity of the company and due to lack of
transparency it has affected the personal growth of the employees. The third section of the report focuses
on the Research methodology of the report which lays down the different procedure, participants and
variables of the research. The next section laid down the Findings and analysis based on the review of
Literature and the quantitative analysis carried out thorough the interview. A conclusion summarises the
paper which is then followed by the recommendations to improve the bullying scenario to Google.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Purpose of the report....................................................................................................................4
Problem Statement.......................................................................................................................5
Research questions.......................................................................................................................5
Structure of the paper...................................................................................................................5
Literature Review............................................................................................................................6
Analysis of Workplace Bullying and Job Security......................................................................6
Impact of Workplace Bullying on Performance of Individuals...................................................7
Intention of Employees to Leave the Job Due to Workplace Bullying.......................................7
Relationship Between Workplace Bullying and Social Exchange Theory.................................8
Relationship Between Motivational Theories and Workplace Bullying.....................................9
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................11
Participants and Procedures.......................................................................................................11
Participants................................................................................................................................11
Key variables.............................................................................................................................12
Statement of analysis and Findings...............................................................................................13
Qualitative Analysis...................................................................................................................13
Findings.....................................................................................................................................15
Conclusions and Recommendations..............................................................................................16

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Recommendations......................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................18
Appendix........................................................................................................................................21
Interview....................................................................................................................................21

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Introduction
In the present scenario of business environment, the workplace bullying is one of the most
researched topics in the management research and it has been examined in a proper manner in terms of
relevance, outcomes along with antecedents. As commented by Zabrodska et al. (2016), the workplace
bullying is the form of the interpersonal mistreatment which is done beyond mere in-activities and it
comprises of the repetitive along with deliberate derogatory acts towards the different individuals in the
workplace.
As hypothesized by Venetoklis and Kettunen (2016), there are different signs of the corporate
bullying that includes the failure to meet the different organizational goals along with increased absence
due to sickness or there can be increase in the different disciplinary actions that can affect the morale of
employees. There are different other instances wherein the employees are bullied due to the pressure
related to deadline and when the employees are not able to achieve the same, it is affecting the mental
peace which leads to the excess workload and it forces them to leave such organizations. Due to the
bullying present in the workplace, it has created oppressive kind of workplace that affects the morale of
the employees and it increases the attrition rate in the different kinds of organizations as well. As
commented by Rockett et al. (2017), the workplace bullying is the other kind of aggression which
includes the different kinds of invalid criticism along with excessive monitoring related practices present
in the organizations. Furthermore, as opined by Richardson, Hall and Joiner (2016), the corporate kind of
bullying occurs when the bullying is entrenched in the companies and it becomes accepted as the part of
the culture of the workplace as well.
In addition, as commented by Richardson, Joiner and Hall (2016), due to lack of transparency in
the business operations, there is huge increase in bullying in the organizations which is affecting the
morale of employees and it is affecting the brand image. Over the past few years, it has been noticed that
workplace bullying has considered the substantial attention of the human resource management and
organizational behaviour practitioners and scholars. The literature review will be mainly focusing on
explaining the actual phenomenon of workplace bullying and the different recommendations which
should be implemented in order to cope up with the bullying and minimize the different kinds of impacts
caused due to the same and it impacts the health and safety of the employees. The negative impacts of
bullying are classified in terms of productivity and cost along with culture of organization.
Purpose of the report
The primary purpose of the report can be rightfully defined to find the case for ` Workplace
bullying for casual employees in Google`. The different employees as present in the firm are often made

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to go under considerable misconduct and it is due to this that their overall motivational level and the
overall productivity decreases considerably. Hence, with the function of the Human resource management
in focus, the report will seek to find the overall employee bullying and misconduct which takes place in
Google. This will assist in ensuring that the paper comes up with ways in which the Human resource
management as medium can be used to bring about measures which can be used to reduce the workplace
bullying.
Problem Statement
The bullying of the casual employees has become a considerably dreadful experience which the
different employees are required to undergo and hence, in line of this, the problem statement of the
research statement can be stated to be to find the reasons why the Workplace bullying for casual
employees takes place in Google and what is the extent of that misconduct. In addition to this, measures
to improve the same will also be recommended.
Research questions
The research questions which the research report will aim to answer can be stated to be as follows:
Q1. What behaviour constitutes bullying for casual employees?
Q2.what is their intention to stay in the organisation?
Q3. What techniques or training do target casual employees note or recommend to reduce incidents of
bullying?
Hence, through the given research questions the paper aims to understand why the employees are
being bullied, what is its impact and what techniques need to be provided to the different organizational
members and management to reduce the incidents of bullying in the workplace.
Structure of the paper
The structure which the paper will be following can be stated to be quite systematized in nature.
In line of this, it can be rightfully understood that, the paper will begin with a brief Introduction which
will then be followed by the review of Literature regarding employee behaviour and the bullying at
workplace. The third section of the report will be based on the methodology which the report follows for
the research and lastly the Analysis and Findings section will be presented. The last section of the report
will lay down the Conclusion and the recommendations with respect to the same.

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Literature Review
Analysis of Workplace Bullying and Job Security
As commented by Ramely and Ahmad (2017), the workplace bullying is one of the increasingly
recognized kind of risks for the loss of job along with exclusion from the working life. Consequently, as
opined by Park and Ono (2017), the bullying at workplace is represented as the antecedent of the
insecurity of the different individuals for the job performed by them. The bullying at workplace is the
ongoing type of exposure to the different acts which are negative in nature that the target has the
difficulty in defending himself/herself against due to the real or the power which is perceived creating
imbalance between the different parties. In addition, as commented by Paciello (2019), the bullying at
workplace is defined as process wherein the employees are subjected to frequent acts which are negative
for long span of time by the different superiors. The different kinds of acts include the various obstruction
of the work-related tasks along with indirect behaviors or the veiled sabotage of the job.
As opined by Namie nd Namie (2018), the different workplace bullying aspects is experienced by
more than 9 to 15% of the workforce and it is described as the major and significant challenge for the
different employees in a negative manner. The different consequences of the workplace bullying are vast,
both for the target, witnesses along with organization, which is encompassing the range of the mental or
the physical related problems in health for the employees who are affected the most. On the contrary,
there are different kinds of considerable negative kind of influence on the organizational along with
financial outcomes for the employer or the organization. Moreover, as commented by Morris (2016), the
job insecurity is the different expectations along with concerns regarding the performance of the work
situation and perceived kind of powerfulness to maintain the desired kind of continuity to work in the job
situation which is threatened.
As stated by Kwan, Tuckey and Dollard (2016), the job insecurity is described as the result of the
macro level factors, personality traits along with the different kinds of individual factors related to job.
The exposure to the bullying at workplace can lead the different targets to perceive continuity for the job
to be threatened and it displays the elevated kind of level of the insecurity related to job. As hypothesized
by Kaya Cicerali and Cicerali (2016), the workplace bullying is related to the exclusion in the working
life of the individuals such as powerlessness to resist the different kinds of threats and it leads to the job
insecurity as well. Moreover, as commented by Karatuna (2015), the different workers who are being
bullied are not able to perform the jobs to the best as of their ability and there is different inclusion of
issues such as lower productivity, loss of the self-esteem along with incapacity to work or concentrate on
the different work which are performed by them.

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Impact of Workplace Bullying on Performance of Individuals
From the above, as commented by Hoel and Einarsen (2015), the workers who are being bullied
lose motivation to perform the different tasks in the organization along with lose the time as they are
already occupied for trying to defend themselves and planning on dealing with the situations effectively.
As opined by Hershcovis, Reich and Niven (2015), one prime reason is that the bullying related behaviors
which occurs frequently in the business environment in the present scenario that the different employers
in the organization do not show any interest on the problems faced by employees which affects their
morale and it results in the bad performance of the company as well as individuals.
As commented by Glambek, Skogstad and Einarsen (2018), the victims of the bullying results in
lowered well-being along with the lowered rate of job satisfaction along with the different stress related
symptoms such as sleep related problems, anxiety along with depression and somatic issues that causes
the employees to leave the job as they do not receive any satisfaction in such working environment.
Moreover, as opined by Fyke et al. (2016), the inability of the different employees to concentrate alone in
the different tasks performed by them increase the chances of making different mistakes along with
increased amount of reduced quality of the output which affects productivity of company negatively.
Moreover, due to the reduced performance in in line with (), who have analyzed that the
workplace bullying reduces the subordinate’s intrinsic motivation along with receptiveness to the edicts
of tyrants. Fox and Cowan (2015), have commented that the influence of the abusive supervision creates
huge impact on the self-esteem of the individuals in performing the activities in an inappropriate manner.
There is a strong relation between performance and self-esteem as it helps in determining the different
whether bullying has negative impact on the performance of the employees which affects the morale of
the employees and it creates negative impact on the organizational performance. In addition, as
commented by Escartín (2016), the frequency of the bullying at workplace affects the individuals and the
entire effect can be devastating in nature as well. The bullying at workplace has affected negatively the
personality of the individuals which includes both mental and physical health.
Intention of Employees to Leave the Job Due to Workplace Bullying
As commented by Escartín et al. (2018), due to the workplace bullying, it has been seen that due
to the same, it has led to the absenteeism in the organization that has affected productivity in a negative
approach. As hypothesized by Einarsen et al. (2017), because of issues related to health and tactics related
to avoidance which can be attributed to the different supervisors who are abusive along with avoiding the
berating environment in the organization as well. Due to such aspects, the productivity of the organization
is lost due to the different employees who are on leave and whose morale have been affected, however

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Cowan (2018), has commented that pressure is the aspect which will be mounting on their workers with
and it is reducing the productivity of the company negatively.
As commented by Catley et al. (2017), the different absences create the different hidden costs in
addition to the loss of productivity along with sick pay for the different employees who are absent. In
such scenario, the employees who have been bullied increased the burden on the different staffs who are
attending and it leads to negative efficiency of the organizational objectives. The other effect on the
different individuals which impacts the performance of the organizations includes the turnover rate of the
employees that relates to the techniques of avoidance along with health effects of the supervision which is
abusive in nature. However, there are no such inclusion of laws which have been made in prohibiting the
workplace bullying approaches and it is increasing such aspects of bullying more in the present scenario
of the business environment.
After the entire analysis of the different impacts of workplace bullying in organizations, it can be
identified that the different managers and leaders of the companies need to be responsible for identifying
the different cases of the workplace bullying within the company and it is essential for them in
investigating the different issues which will be appropriate for understanding the root cause of the
problem appropriately as well. One of the main factors which is causing the workplace bullying is
identified as it will be easier for them in solving the different causes and improve the scenario
appropriately.
As commented by Ågotnes et al. (2018), the increase in level of the conflicts role along with lack
of the effective working environment are the different factors which encourages the different employees
in indulging in the different negative behaviour. As commented by Catley et al. (2017), the unhealthy
social type of environment, low morale of the different employees along with lack of the cooperation
from the employers to the employees are the different factors which leads to workplace bullying and it is
required to be reduced to improve the working environment and make it suitable for the different
employees.
Relationship Between Workplace Bullying and Social Exchange Theory
In order to improve the consequences of the workplace bullying, there are different aspects and
theories which can be taken into consideration to reduce the issues faced by employees and the employer
and gain competitive advantage in the market as well. As commented by Cowan (2018), the social
exchange theory is defined as the concept that results in analyzing that the social behavior is the result of
the process related to exchange. The main aim and purpose of the exchange theory is to maximise the
different benefits along with minimizing the costs. It is the sociological theory that helps in understanding

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that the it helps in identifying the interaction between the two parties to determine the different benefits
along with risks.
As commented by Einarsen et al. (2017), with the implementation of the social exchange theory,
the organization needs to provide support to the ones who have suffered the most. In such scenarios, the
different employers of the organizations should be supportive and look for the different alternatives that
can be adopted by the company and improve the scenario appropriately. All the employees are the
important asset of the company and they should be valued and in case of workplace bullying, with the use
of the respective theory, the organization can implement a strong and supportive workplace environment
which will be helpful for the improvement of the environment and make it suitable for the different
employees in an appropriate manner as well. As commented by Einarsen et al. (2018), the main notion of
the respective theory is to determine the different aspects in analysing that the different employees who
are facing such bullying workplace should complain regarding the same to their supervisors and learn the
different alternatives to improve the scenario effectively. There can be inclusion of different metrics
which can be applied to improve the scenario and gain competitive advantage in the market.
Relationship Between Motivational Theories and Workplace Bullying
From the analysis of the different issues faced by the different employees in the organization. it
can be identified that there can be inclusion of extrinsic motivation that will be helpful for managing the
different needs of the employees appropriately. As opined by Escartín (2016), there are different kinds of
attitudes which can be adopted by the employer to improve morale of employees and make the workplace
more enjoyable as it will be assisting in improving the scenario. The workplace satisfaction is the most
crucial element which will be improving the productivity of the organization to supportive the colleagues
and make it stress-free in nature. As opined by Glambek, Skogstad and Einarsen (2018), the hostile
environment of the company with bullying related to work pressure and workplace bullying will be
creating stressful working situations that can affect motivation in the workplace.
There should be inclusion of transparency which will be helpful for the employees to perform the
different tasks in an appropriate and positive manner. Furthermore, as commented by Hoel and Einarsen
(2015), there can be inclusion of training and development programs for the new and existing employees
to make them aware regarding the different kinds of consequences of bullying at workplace as to make
them more effective in handling the different rules and regulations of the company and improve the
scenario effectively. As per the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the different employees are required to be
provided with the different needs as they are the integral part of the companies and they should be treated
well as it will help them in making the difference in the company and the team as well.

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As commented by Morris (2016), the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it can be hypothesized that
bullying is one of the major crimes which should be stopped in the organizations through the proper
introduction of the procedures along with policies that will play an effective role in improving the
scenario and achieve the competitive advantage in the market as well. Moreover, when the employees
will be motivated and the environment will be suitable for them to work, it will influence the works which
are performed and commenced by them that will be appropriate for the success of the company in terms
of positive productivity.
All the employees must feel that they should be valued and there should be introduction of the
different kinds of zero tolerance policies along with other terms and conditions that will be playing a vital
role in improving the scenario and achieve the competitiveness in the market as well. As commented by
Morris (2016), the different human resource managers of the companies are the ones who are responsible
for investigating such kinds of cases in the company and it affects the employee’s wellbeing in the
company negatively which will be impacting the overall productivity of the company negatively as well.
For instance- In Google, the women employees have been bullied by the male employees that has
affected their morale and due to lack of transparency, the women employees had to quit their jobs that led
to loss of productivity in the company.
From the overall analysis of the workplace bullying along with the analysis of the impacts of
bullying, it can be identified that it is one of the major crimes which should be avoided in the
organizations. The companies need to provide with the workload and as the regular kind of consultations
will be reducing the unnecessary pressures from the employees and the employees will be feeling
valuable in the organizations as well. In addition, as commented by Glambek, Skogstad and Einarsen
(2018), there can be introduction of career development opportunities which will be beneficial in
providing the employees with opportunities to shape their career and they will feel motivated and there
will be inclusion of transparency between the different kinds of conversations between the employees and
employers. The job security is the other aspect which needs to be managed by the different employers in
different organizations as it will be appropriate in making the employees feel safe and secure in the
environment appropriately.

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Research Methodology
The research methodology can be rightfully described as the processes and the overall approach
which is undertaken with respect to carrying out a particular research work (Kumar 2019). It is important
to understand that undertaking a research cannot be an easy aspect and in line of this, it can be considered
to be highly relevant for the paper to follow the right methodology as this will help in ensuring that the
researcher is successfully able to achieve the overall objectives.
Participants and Procedures
The procedure which has been stated to be adopted in the research methodology can be stated to
be rather simple in nature. The research approach which was adopted for the researcher can be understood
to be the descriptive research approach whereby, the research will be undertaking a descriptive study to
explain the overall case of bullying which takes place in the organization. Moreover, in line of the same,
it needs to be understood that the data collection method which has been adopted for the purpose of the
study can be stated to be relating to the primary as well as secondary data collection methods (Silverman
2016). Whereby under the primary data collection method, various interviews have been conducted from
the employees at Google in order to gain their overall perspective on the overall environment of the firm
and the manner in which the bullying can be considered to be largely prevalent in the overall operations
of the firm. In line of this, it also becomes relatively important to note that in line of this, the firm will be
successfully able to be advised ways in which the overall queries of the different employees can be
resolved. The secondary data collection method has been successfully applied in the Review of Literature
with respect to which it can be largely understood that, the data used in the Review of Literature has been
adopted form various journals, text books and articles (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault 2015).
In addition to this, it needs to be understood that the method which has been adopted to carry out
the analysis of the data can be understood to be qualitative method because, an interview of three
employees have been conducted and in line of this, this would through light on the overall operations of
the firm. The information collected from the different employees will be essentially analysed
quantitatively.
Participants
The participants who will be involved in the procedure of the interview can be stated to be rather
very few in nature. This means that, only 3 employees of the firm will be chosen and with respect to this,
they will be asked questions relating to the field of bullying in the firm. The employees shall be selected
on a random basis with respect to which they will be selected from the social media websites. However, it
is important to consider that, the names of the employees will be held anonymous because, the overall