Finding Your Way Through The Bullying Maze Presented on September 27 th, 2007 by Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, MEd (Adult Education) Co-chair, Research Team on Workplace Violence and Abuse, UNB Dr. Marvin Claybourn Advisory committee member, Research Team on Workplace Violence and Abuse, UNB © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Today’s Session Goal Our goal is to share some of our findings, and to explore how they might fit with human resource practices Outline Presentation (35 minutes) Problem-solving activity (30 minutes) Discussion of problem scenarios (10 minutes) Question & answer period (15 minutes) Ground Rule: No identifying information leaves this room We encourage you to talk about the kinds of situations that have been discussed, but you must not disclose names, names of organizations or other identifying details © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Workplace Bullying: Definition & Dynamics Simple Definition Personal diminishment: being made to feel incompetent, ashamed, worthless, excluded, unsafe. Workplace Bullying Dynamics Between two individuals (serial bullies may have a string of individual victims) One person bullying a group A group targeting one person (mobbing) A toxic work environment Bystander Roles © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Workplace Climate: Attitudes Toward Mistakes, Conflicts & Negative Events Dealing with workplace bullying starts by being able to discuss it How organizations deal with mistakes, conflict and negative events will influence how easily people are able to discuss workplace bullying  Natural occurrences  Learning opportunities  Opportunities for growth & development  Ways of assigning blame  Ways of deciding punishment  Ways of making others look bad OR Mistakes, conflicts & negative events can be viewed as… © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Workplace Climate: Making It Safe to Report Even the best policies and procedures will fail unless people believe that they’re safe, reliable, and effective. Workplaces characterized by a climate of safety & trust have measures in place to ensure : Confidentiality Fairness Protection from retaliation Protection from unfounded complaints Issues are dealt with in a timely, reasonable manner and there is consistent follow-through © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Workplace Bullying: Causes & Effects WORKPLACE BULLYING POWER AND CONTROL COMMUNICATION ISSUES PERCEIVED UNFAIR SYSTEM OF REWARDS & PUNISHMENTS CONTEMPT FOR DIFFERENCE VERBAL, EMOTIONAL, OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE UNHEALTHY AND OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOURAL NORMS EXPECTED BEHAVIOURS NOT MADE CLEAR SUPERVISION ISSUES DISCRIMINATION UNREALISTIC WORKLOAD STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Workplace Bullying: Diagnosing the Problem Identify the problem Gather contextual information Describe the ideal situation or outcome Brainstorm options Evaluate options, weighing: - Risks & benefits - Practicality - Consequences Implement preferred option Evaluate outcomes (both intended & unforeseen) Revisit options, if necessary General Steps for Problem-solving One of the most common problems is trying to solve the problem before you’ve confirmed exactly what it is. © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Diagnostic Flow Chart A SUSPECTED WORKPLACE BULLYING ISSUE COMES TO LIGHT (observed, rumoured, reported by third party, informal complaint, formal written complaint) INITIAL SCREENING INITIAL JUDGEMENT OF HOW TO PROCEED, BASED ON: - Immediate risk or danger - Criminal behaviour - Violation of harassment policy -Nature/extent of the perceived problem - Stage of the problem - Who is involved DETERMINATION OF WHO IS BEST TO HANDLE THE SITUATION: - Sufficient authority - Appropriate skill set & experience - Credibility with the parties - No real or perceived conflict of interest - Time available to take on the case IN-DEPTH ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS: Observation, interviews, bystander input, recent events, performance history, context PROCESS IS EXPLAINED AND SUPPORT SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO BOTH PARTIES © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Intervention Options RESOLUTION OPTIONS: - Training - Coaching - Counselling - Facilitation - Mediation - Investigation - Group intervention AIMED AT: - Target(s) - Perpetrator(s) - Bystanders - Work unit - Overall workplace climate HANDLED BY: - Supervisor/Manager - Human Resources Dept. - Another internal resource - An external expert FOLLOW-UP MONITORING, FINE-TUNING, AND, IF NEEDED, FURTHER INTERVENTION DEBRIEFING AND POSTVENTION WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS IN-DEPTH ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS: Observation, interviews, bystander input, recent events, performance history, context © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)

Umbrella Role for Human Resources Umbrella Role for H.R. (assisted by a workplace-wide advisory committee → Monitoring patterns and trends over time → Identifying ongoing (unresolved) issues and trouble spots → Pinpointing contributing systemic factors → Developing, implementing and evaluating workplace policies and procedures © Marilyn Noble, BA, BFA, Med (Adult Education) and Marvin Claybourn, PhD (Clinical psychology)