Australia: Wanted for study – accused bullies

from HeraldSun.com.au

WHAT happens to managers accused of workplace bullying will be the subject of research at the University of Adelaide.

Psychology PhD student Moira Jenkins wants to study managers accused of bullying their workers to see how they are affected by the accusations.

“Most organisations now have bullying and harassment policies and complaint processes aimed at dealing with inappropriate behaviours such as bullying and harassment,” Ms Jenkins said.

“However, evidence suggests that some employees use these complaint procedures to complain about all sorts of workplace conflict and behaviours that are not necessarily bullying.

“There are very few studies that have examined how complaints affect the people who have been accused of being a bully, especially managers who often have to keep managing the team while they are under investigation.”

Ms Jenkins is looking for managers who have had a complaint of workplace bullying made against them in the past year.

She wants to hear their perspective on the accusations, the way the complaint was addressed, how the complaint affected their ability to carry out their job and the support they received.

“I hope that the results of this study will help organisations better manage workplace conflicts before they become complaints of bullying,” Ms Jenkins said.

“Hopefully, it will also give some guidance on how to best support managers who have allegations made against them.”