Institutional‐level bullying: Exploring workplace bullying during union organizing drives

Abstract

We investigated bullying behaviour within the context of trade union organizing drives. We conducted an archival search using the Ontario Labour Relations Board database, which yielded 146 cases over a 10‐year period. We found that the three core features of workplace bullying were present in 20 of these cases. Through a qualitative content analysis, we found a number of instances in which managers were reported to have repeatedly and persistently engaged in acts of bullying towards union organizers and supporters, intensified the hostility of these acts over time, and exploited their power through threats to job security and captive audience meetings. We also shed light on the role of observers of bullying behaviour and how observers may have distanced themselves from or concealed contact with the target. Practitioner points Managers in organizations may resort to bullying behaviour during the organizing drive, which can produce fear among employees and result in significant legal consequences. Bullying tends to start with subtle and indirect behaviours, but often escalates into more intense forms of bullying. Senior management should ensure that managers and other employees in the organization understand the potential repercussions of their bullying behaviours.

Towards a conceptual and empirical differentiation between workplace bullying and interpersonal conflict

“…Workplace bullying has rapidly evolved into a well-represented topic in academic top journals (e.g., Baillien, De Cuyper, & De Witte, 2011;Einarsen & Skogstad, 1996;Salin, 2003;Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016;Woodrow & Guest, 2017). It refers to a situation in which one or more employees are repeatedly targeted with negative acts at work over a longer period of time (e.g., 6 months; Leymann, 1996).…”

The Role and Impact of Leaders on Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harassment

“…A study on institutional bullying further illustrated that this form of bullying can also manifest within the context of management and union interactions (Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016). As a result of manager bullying towards union representatives, employees tended to distance themselves from the union out of fear, despite the presence of strong labour laws (Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016).…”

“…A study on institutional bullying further illustrated that this form of bullying can also manifest within the context of management and union interactions (Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016). As a result of manager bullying towards union representatives, employees tended to distance themselves from the union out of fear, despite the presence of strong labour laws (Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016). Furthermore, a case study of workplace bullying in a higher-education institution revealed that frustrations felt by targets tended to spill over to students, creating an overall toxic and discouraging environment for all actors involved, whether or not individuals were involved in the actual bullying process (McKay, Arnold, Fratzl, & Thomas, 2008).…”

“…Baillien et al, 2016), Canada (e.g. Laschinger & Fida, 2014;Samnani, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2016), China (e.g. Aryee, Chen, Sun, & Debrah, 2007), India (e.g.…”

Stifling Workplace Activism: The Consequences of Anthem Protests for NFL Players

“…The workplace can be a hostile setting for political action. The penchant for some companies to engage in all manner of intimidation against union organizing, for example, is well documented (Samnani, Boekhorst, and Harrison, 2016). Given their vulnerable job status and challenged economic circumstances, studies note the great organizing challenge of activating workers in the fast food industry to advance the call for a living wage in the workplace (Tapia, Lee, and Filipovitch, 2017;Meyer, 2017).…”