Employee perceptions of workplace bullying and their implications

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether perceptions of workplace bullying have evolved to encompass a holistic appreciation that includes both physical and psychological components of this costly phenomenon, and to assess the effectiveness of relevant training programs in a major retail organisation.

Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative methodology is adopted. In total, 30 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with frontline employees and management in an organisation comprising several retail outlets.

Findings: The interviews reveal that although participants experienced a variety of behaviours associated with workplace bullying and harassment, these behaviours were commonly ignored or neglected until they escalated into confrontation and threatened productivity and profitability. Employees and supervisory staff had minimal appreciation, practical skills, or training on how to deal effectively with negative workplace behaviours.

Research limitations/implications: A limitation of the study is that the data are sourced from a single organisation. The findings highlight the need to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of occupational health and safety policies and procedures, and to expand their focus beyond the physical paradigm to incorporate also psychosocial and psychological, risk and injury.

Originality/value: The study provides a unique examination of whether management and staff incorporate both physical and psychological aspects of occupational health and safety.