Tight deadlines, big projects and work pressure are just some of the things that employees deal with every day at the workplace. However, some may also need to contend with abusive and bullying behavior from co-workers or their supervisors.
Needless to say, the experience results to a negative working environment for bullying victims. It is also a difficult situation to handle and being subjected to workplace bullying over time will greatly affect a person’s mental health. In worst cases, it can also lead to suicide.
A study conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute indicated that 27 percent of employees in the U.S. have experienced being bullied at work, in most cases from their supervisors. Other similar studies also showed that bullying is becoming prevalent in the workplace.
However, a new study made by researchers Charlice Hurst, Ken Kelley and Timothy Judge from the Department of Management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and Lauren Simon of Portland State University, looked at how a supervisor’s bullying behavior has affected the employee and superior’s relationship over time. The study’s results showed interesting responses from bullied employees such as withdrawal and retaliation. It also provided an interesting peek at the possible reasons as to why or how the bosses developed their abusive behaviors, whether it stemmed from their childhood or personal lives, or as a result of a highly competitive organization.
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