Hr Case Analysis - Workplace Bullying

HR Case Analysis: Workplace Bullying

Managing in the short and longer term at GDB:

a section of the public service

1. Background

The narrator has recently been appointed to the position of Manager of the Client Relations Section of GDB, a public service company, via a public sector recruitment and selection process. An external appointee, she has been asked to ‘clean up the area’ which is lacking in transparent procedures and does not follow organisational policies. Lee, a key staff member who the narrator saw as being of central importance to the section, has been exhibiting a number of behaviours that which are making it difficult for her to do her job. She perceives Lee’s behaviour to be a case of workplace bullying.

2. Workplace bullying and bullying behaviours

Workplace bullying has increasingly become the focus of global research over recent years. According to Branch et al, quoted in Redman & Wilkinson (2010), workplace bullying is a complex phenomenon that provides significant challenges and is of great importance to managers. De Cieri & Kramar, in their book ‘Human Resource Management in Australia’ (2005), describe workplace bullying as “an ‘alarming issue’ that requires comprehensive understanding and management with effective organisational processes, if the costs to individuals and organisation are to be alleviated.”

While some researchers question whether it is possible to achieve a consistent definition of workplace bullying (Rayner, Hoel & Cooper, 2002, cited in Redman & Wilson, 2009, p. 518)), agreement usually exists in relation to the inclusion of several key characteristics within its definition – inappropriate behaviours carried out regularly over a period of time and the existence of a power imbalance between the bully and target.

Firstly, workplace bullying behaviours must be able to be defined as “inappropriate” or “unreasonable” behaviours (Einarsen & Raknes, 1997, cited in Redman &...