By: Yunus Swalahudeen wakpenjo
heritage news online (HNO)
Stringent policy is required to curb work place bully, to help build a social cohesion and harmonious organizational environment…
An HR practitioner, consultant and Adjunct lecturer at the Ghana institute of management and public administration (GIMPA) Mrs. Naomi Marbell, has urged fellow HR practitioners to develop strenuous policy that seek to ensure total eradication of work place bullying to enhance productivity and promote brand integrity.
Speaking on youth express on Gtv, Mrs Marbell has hinted that, a research she conducted, discloses, 80% of production loses, are as a result of psychological effect emanating from bullying most supervisors and managers subject their work force.
Whiles, 60% of work time loses are attributable to the same effect.
“Mostly, victims of bullying sit during working hours reminiscing on why they are subjected to such bully and how they can avert it from their way. Hence, the time for productivity will be used by these victims thinking on what has been said or done to them. And this will indeed affect production and productivity hours” she said.
“As managers, carry out bullying survey periodically, Find out from your work team about why they are being bullied and it effect on them. Develop a detailed questionnaire to elicit information on bullying tendencies. Because, not everyone can walk to your office and report. Some would even be scared to report, for fear of losing their job” she added.
She reiterated that, when bullying becomes excessive at work environment, it reduces the level of workforce commitment and at the end, the effect will be apparent on production and financial returns of the organization.
“So if you have supervisors and managers who bully, the work will decline and all of us will go home” she admonished.
Mrs. Marbell further stated that work place bully has long term implication across all departments of a giving organization whether private or public sector organization. Hence, the effect of its implication will be on its sustainability, employee safety and brand integrity.
“There is the need for HR practitioners to develop a policy that would spell out measures to help manage work place bully. The needed punishment and possible compensation for victims should all be captured within the policy to help mitigate the menace” she added.
She also called on victims and prospective victims of work place bully to document their incidence and when it becomes overly, they will need it for judicial justice.
“I want to tell them to document their work place incidence, so that when it becomes abusive they can go to court and seek justice”. she stressed.
