Bullying study reveals unexpected results

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WINNIPEG (Canadian OH&S News) -- Isolating a worker by excluding him from lunch, spreading rumours about him and purposely undermining his work — all of these actions may be considered workplace bullying, and their negative effects are greater than those of sexual harassment, say two Canadian researchers.

Sandy Hershcovis of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and Julian Barling of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, came to the conclusion after analyzing two decades' worth of research into the impacts of workplace bullying and sexual harassment. Job satisfaction, psychological well-being, job stress, and desire to quit work were among the categories used to measure effects.

In most categories, the negative effects of bullying were found to be greater than those of sexual harassment. Employees subjected to this behaviour were more likely to leave their jobs, were less satisfied with their jobs, and suffered a greater effect on their well-being, the review found. That being said, the impact of sexual harassment remained "significant across the board," Hershcovis stressed in an interview with COHSN.

The results of the analysis — which examined over 100 studies that included nearly 130 survey samples of varying sizes — took the researchers by surprise, Hershcovis says, adding that she and Barling expected sexual harassment would have had more severe effects on workers. The study was presented in Washington, DC on March 8 at the Seventh International Conference on Occupational Stress & Health.

Hershcovis speculates that the unexpected results reflect the influence of a well-established legal structure surrounding workplace sexual harassment, a structure that gives workers more ability to cope with the harassment "because organizations now have policies in place to try to prevent it. And really, they have to try to do something about it because they're open to a lawsuit if they don't."

Because legal recognition of bullying pales in comparison to sexual harassment, few companies have implemented zero-tolerance bullying policies, says Laurent Lapierre, an associate professor in human resource management and organizational behaviour at the University of Ottawa.

"[Employees] feel that there's some injustice in the workplace, in the way that they've been treated," says Lapierre, whose own research on bullying and sexual harassment was included in the analysis by Hershcovis and Barling.

Three jurisdictions have bullying legislation

Only Quebec, Saskatchewan and the federal government have legislation that touches on workplace bullying, Hershcovis notes, adding that the accumulating weight of research into the subject may prompt other jurisdictions to address the issue.

For example, under Section 81.19 of Quebec's Act Respecting Labour Standards, employers must "take reasonable action to prevent psychological harassment and, whenever they become aware of such behaviour, to put a stop to it." Psychological harassment is defined as "any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affects an employee's dignity or psychological or physical integrity and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee."

Nearly 5,000 psychological harassment complaints have been filed since the legislation was enacted in June of 2004, though only 320 of the cases have been accepted and just 15 have prompted rulings, notes labour lawyer Michael Fitzgibbon in a January, 2008 article.

"Courts in Canada have lately taken on a more active role in policing workplace behaviour," writes Fitzgibbon, a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto. "The legal risks and financial costs associated with not dealing with the 'bully' can be very significant."

Another reason why the effects of bullying may be greater than those of sexual harassment is because in the latter case, the actions are not necessarily mean-spirited, says Lapierre. For example, an employee who is persistently nagged by a co-worker to go on a date may be able to brush off such unwanted advances, but may not be able to handle verbal put-downs in the same way, he suggests.

Bullying "very prevalent" in the workplace

Chris Hinkle is owner of Firm Foundations, a harassment consulting company in Barrie, Ontario. Bullying is "very prevalent" in the workplace, she says, adding that training workers about harassment is critical if it is to be reduced. Absenteeism, productivity and employee turnover are all affected by bullying. "It really can poison the whole workplace," she says.

In addition to awareness education, preventative measures must also be taken by companies, Lapierre says. A clear policy that outlines penalties for workplace bullies is an effective way to curb destructive behaviour, he adds.