Bullying among support staff in a higher education institution

Abstract

Purpose

Workplace bullying has been a subject of increasing study in recent years, particularly in the UK, Scandinavia and Australia. Health effects of workplace bullying are often cited as an undesirable outcome of being bullied, yet these health effects have not been studied systematically. This study was small and exploratory. The overall aims were to explore support staff perceptions of the nature and causes of bullying, and to examine the perceived relationship between bullying and self‐reported health complaints.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 100 self‐report questionnaires were sent via the internal mail system. Ten interviews were carried out with participants, who perceived that they had been bullied at work, to expand on the questionnaires.

Findings

A total of 42 employees responded, 19 reporting experiencing one or more forms of bullying in the previous two years, while 17 had witnessed colleagues being bullied. The top four bullying tactics ranked in terms of frequency of reporting were undue pressure to produce work, undermining of ability, shouting abuse, and withholding necessary information. When bullying occurred it was likely to be by a line manager. Major findings are that headaches, loss of confidence, loss of self‐esteem, fatigue/listlessness, and stress are the most commonly reported health consequences of being bullied, and that these syndromes are associated with a decrease in workplace morale, increased stress at home, and propensity to seek alternative employment.

Originality/value

This study, of bullying of support staff in a large UK educational institution, is a contribution to understanding the health implications of workplace bullying from the perspective of those bullied.

Citation

Thomas, M. (2005), "Bullying among support staff in a higher education institution", Health Education, Vol. 105 No. 4, pp. 273-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280510602499