Bullying – for Managers and HR

Scholarly article

Bullying – for Managers and HR

Recognition, classification, action

Bullying refers to systematic, repeated and targeted hostile behaviour towards individuals.

Bullying can take the form of verbal, non-verbal or organisational actions and usually results in those affected suffering significant psychological and physical strain.

The distinction between unintentional misconduct and targeted harassment is not always clear. Not every case of misconduct is a deliberate act of harassment. A holistic approach helps to identify bullying situations, get to the bottom of the causes and develop effective prevention and intervention measures.

Bullying affects not only those who are targeted, but also the company’s working atmosphere and productivity. Line managers and HR managers play a key role in preventing and combating bullying.

In practice, it is not always easy to infer bullying from certain behaviour. The following criteria, according to psychologist Leymann, provide insightful, but not legally binding, information for identifying acts of bullying.

These assessment criteria apply to bullying

Which actions indicate bullying?

Bullying occurs in five areas:

Communication: Attacks on someone’s opportunity to express themselves
Social relations: Attacks on someone’s ability to interact with other people
Reputation: Attacks on how a person is perceived
Work and life situation: Attacks on the quality of someone’s work or life situation
Health: Attacks on someone’s mental and/or physical health

Is an intent discernible?

Bullying takes place in a targeted and deliberate manner. It takes place systematically and repeatedly.

Do the actions change the balance of power?

In acts of bullying, an imbalance develops between the parties. A power imbalance becomes apparent.

Do the actions take place over a longer period of time?

Bullying takes place over a longer period of time. A guideline here is a period of six months.

Do the actions occur regularly?

Bullying is usually characterised by a certain regularity of occurrence. This can range from weekly to daily harassment. However, there are also court cases in which one-off acts have been classified as bullying.

Further information:

Scholarly article «Protection of personal integrity»Trainings on the topic «Protection of personal integrity» and «Bullying»Posters on the topic «Personal integrity»Order form for posters Employee Assistance Program

Sexual Harassment – for Employees

Back to the overview

Bullying – for Employees

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

Contact us