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File image: Protest against workplace bullying.
Independent Institute of Education General Manager Peter Kriel says it is not easy to identify bullying behaviour in the workplace.
He says this is because the behaviour is often concealed.
This year, a study by the SA Journal of Industrial Psychology proposed the development of an anti-workplace bullying policy and employee assistance program (EAP) as interventions to eradicate and effectively manage bullying situations maximally.
Kriel says, “The key aspect that we overlook is that bullying is associated with the school playground and not in the adult world but it’s not so. One has to differentiate between sensitivity and real bullying. There are certain signs in the office environment that points to bullying, if it’s once off, it’s not, but ongoing conduct by individuals that puts others at risk, lowers confidence levels, that is likely bullying.”- Additional reporting by Matthew Veeran.
PODCAST: Interview with Kriel on Lotus FM’s Newsbreak programme on workplace bullying:
