The Effects of Ethical Climates on Bullying Behaviour in the Workplace

Past research has discovered that managers react to ethical dilemmas according to the situation. If specific values that are related to ethical behavior can be identified, they would offer strong tools for managers who want to retain high standards of ethical behavior in their society.

During the announcement of the seventh annual list of most ethical companies in the world in 2013, Alex Brigham of Ethisphere, noted that more companies find that ethical business practices increase their competitiveness in their respective industries, helping to further substantiate the notion that a culture of ethic is crucial to sustainable excellence (Smith, 2013). Researchers in the field of Organizational Behavior has found that employees are subjected to an environment of ethical dilemma constantly. During such moments employees have a choice either to pursue with ethical conduct or engage in an unethical behavior which results in harming the organization or its stakeholder (Trevino & Brown, 2004). How the employee behave greatly depends

Workplace bullying is a very serious act that has a negative impact on individuals and the organization as a whole. Baack (2012), describes workplace bullying as an interpersonal conflict that is a repeated mistreatment of one or more persons (ch.7, p.19). Unfortunately, despite workplace bullying being so harmful, it is often a common occurrence. In the article, Workplace Bullying: Costly and Preventable, Wiedmer (2010), cites a survey conducted in 2007 by the Workplace Bullying Institute-Zogby; in which, thirty-seven percent of the U.S. workforce surveyed reported that they have been bullied at work (p. 36). The article also states that it is a pervasive practice by malicious individuals who seek power, control, domination, and subjugation, and the article goes on to convey information about bullying behaviors, employer practices, profiles the targeted individuals, and steps to take to prevent bullying (Wiedmer, 2010, p. 35). Bullying tactics are not only harmful, physically and mentally, to the targeted individual but is damaging to the organization and entire workforce.

Workplace bullying is a concern for many stakeholders such as nurses, doctors, healthcare employers, patients, families, The Joint Commission, Occupation Safety and Health Association (OSHA), national- level Nurse and Medical professional associations, and state-level affiliated nursing associations. Defining and analyzing the problem is the first step in addressing it. In the past, workplace bullying was referred to as “Nurses eating their young.” There are many names for the various levels of workplace bullying like horizontal and lateral violence, hostility, mobbing, and verbal abuse. Bullying actions can take place overtly or covertly. Nurse-to-Nurse bullying is known to occur during interaction communications and manifests by

Incivility, bullying, and workplace violence are part of a larger complex phenomenon, which includes a “constellation of harmful actions taken and those not taken” in the workplace (Saltzberg, 2011, p. 229). The term “actions taken and not taken” provides an overarching framework that includes using explicit displays of uncivil or threatening acts, as well as failing to take action when action is warranted or required to address incivility, bullying, or violence in the workplace.

Culture, climate, and ethical decisions are a significant part of the organizations. The organizational culture refers to the values and the beliefs that exist in an organization for a long time and the beliefs of staff and the foreseen value of their job that will influence their behavior and attitude. The organizational climate is considered as the shared perceptions of and meaning attached to the practices, policies, and the procedures employees experience and behaviors they observe getting the reward, and that are expected and supported. The organizational culture and organizational climate tend to be two alternative aspects for conceptualizing how people experience and describe their work settings. The organizational ethics are considered as the standards and principles in which the business operates. The organizational ethics is normally dependent on organizational culture. Ethical organizational culture does consist of employees and leaders who adhere to the code of ethics.

Pressure / unwitting bullying – working to unlikely time scales as well as providing minimal supplies to finish the given task.

(Horvat, B., & Pagon, M., 2012, Para. Abstract) says, “creating a “mobbing safe” work environment can be a real challenge; to achieve it, a better understanding of related construct is necessary”. Workplace mobbing in its own can be detrimental to any organization and it’s even worse when employers are made aware of actions such as workplace mobbing and no nothing at all. According to (Horvat, B. & Pagon, M. 2012, pg. 160), “Leymann (1990), describes workplace mobbing as psychological, terror in a workplace caused by individual or a group on a daily basis for at least six months, until the victim leaves the organization or becomes in capable of practicing of his or her profession”.

I felt very connected to this week’s discussions, not because I’ve personally been involved in discrimination, sexual harassment, or bullying but because I spent a lot of time managing through these issues when I worked as an Operations Manager for Borders, Inc. At any given time I had ~250 employees and managers in a distribution center reporting to me on three shifts, six days a week. It was rare that I didn’t have some pending issue that required a Human Resources perspective and these issues were very common themes. I’ve never understood why someone would choose to expend energy on any of these actions but always considered my role as one that could protect others when it did occur. As we’ve discussed, having established policies that are frequently communicated allows employers to react swiftly to correct any issues that arise. This was the case when I worked at Borders and it is today at HCA so I feel comfortable everything possible is being done to discourage and prevent these actions from occurring.

The senior management involved in mobbing process, hence, Hande's motivation declined and she was fired by using low performance as the excuse. The mobbing that Hande was exposed to is hierarchical, in other words, vertical mobbing. In this vertical mobbing, the mobber and mobbers used many methods. They attacked her professional capability by giving too much work or not giving any work. They excluded her by not talking to her, humiliated her or communicated maliciously with her. Since mid-level manager were involved in the mobbing, we can assert that it was a type of "mass mobbing". It is contemplated that the mobbers have narcissistic personality traits. These persons felt uncomfortable by the presence of a successful subordinate and they strive to intimidate her. In fact, they are using the low performance as an excuse since Hande's performance was decreased because of mobbing. When we contemplate the personal characteristics of Hande, we find out that she is neither submissive nor silent when encountered an injustice. However, Hande thinks that she could not defend sufficiently her rights since she was lacking experience. We think that Hande is at the stage of obsession in thoughts, which is the second stage of mobbing effects. The greatest impact on this process is that the stress that Hande has suffered and the fact that she could not forget what she experienced and she has regrets because of inexperience. Unfortunately, she found out about her legal rights too late that she could not overcome the mobbing. Hande thinks it was due to the loss of motivation and lack of

Workplace bullying is something that is a big contemporary problem, that I feel is often pushed under the rug and not discussed. Workplace bullying can effect a person’s health, and it can also affect their role as it relates to their workplace performance. I would like to discuss workplace bullying to help those that has been through this or is currently going through this. I want to provide different steps workers can take if they feel they are being bullied in their workplace. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute (2015) workplace bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. Bullying in the workplace is one of the most contemporary problems I feel that we are faced with today. According to the Waitt Institute (2016) Workplace Bullying is an Epidemic and 37% of American workers, an estimated 54 million people, have been bullied at work.

As companies expand their operations across the globe, new trends and issues arise daily that could create burdens to organizations. The need for international business ethical practices within organizations has become critical in day-to-day operations and in avoiding legal issues. With public scandals and misleading practices companies have affected the public’s views and opinions of many organizations. Implementing strategies such as codes of conduct guides multinational organization in the efforts of following ethical standards. When ethical norms are in conflict, owning different cultural practices, ethical norms guides businesses conduct in other nations and cultures .Pointing that ethical aspect of employees’ conduct has an overall impact on the productivity of an organization.

The purpose or aim of every organization is to establish such an organizational culture and behavior among its employees that helps in achievement of ideal ethical standards. There are certain determinants that play a critical role in helping achieve the right organizational culture. Some of these include personal moral intensity, social ties, codes of ethics, locus of control and Machiavellianism. These

Bullying in the workplace has always been an issue that has not been given much importance. It is indeed a problem that should be addressed by the concerned personnel because it can result in many health and safety issues, especially when nurses are bullied at their workplace. From the beginning of times, people who are deployed at a senior post to tend to look down upon the students or new people who have just started work. Nursing is also one of the professions in which the fresh graduates or students are bullied to the extent that they feel that they would not be able to face their seniors. They start developing inferiority complex and are unable to perform their job well. When they are taunted by their seniors and preceptors about their lack of knowledge and experience, their confidence is shattered. This implies that when they are handling a case, they are not confident if they are doing the right thing or not. In this tussle, they sometimes do not even perform the task they were really good at and put the health and safety of the patient at stake.

This could be very devastating for someone being bullied the old nursery rhymes sticks and stones can break your bones but names and never hurt you. That is not true because names can her and insults Can hurt. And it’s sad because the elderly and the young in the mid-range of Adult calling to this range of being bullied. In the workplace is the prime opportunity to bully someone out of Job title Or even try to take someone’s job and then you do that you take someone’s livelihood and it affects not even the one you’re bullying but overall affect other people and their households. To me backbiting and bullying should be against the law I think it is a crime to literally pick on other innocent