Page 1 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1256
Bullying at Work Place & Its Traumatic Effects
DR. PREETI SANGWAN
Assistant Professor (Teaching of Mathematics),
R.L.S. College of Education, Sidhrawali-122413
drpreetisangwan@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Globally, bullying is a serious offensive issue. When majority of employees start commenting
and acting in such a way, which is hurting somebody mentally and pushes that target person to
be isolated is called bullying. Repeated such pattern of behavior, which is intended to degrade,
humiliate a particular individual, affects the targeted person’s health in harmful way. So, this
contextual paper is an attempt to explore the concept of bullying at workplace and reveals some
of the traumatic effects as stress, anxiety, loss of self esteem, which a target person experiences
due to mentally torture.
Keywords: Bullying, mentally torture, work anxiety, work stress, panic experience
INTRODUCTION
In country like India, everybody has freedom to select a course of their choice and have choice to
be entered in suitable jobs as per their eligibility. In democratic countries everybody can share
their views freely, can raise voice against any kind of exploitation, which they face. For smooth
going of life, work is important for an individual. After years of hard work and struggle, a person
gets a job. If the people working at work place are kind enough, cooperate in working of
individual, and then the person is blessed enough.
But when he enters into work place with zeal of working efficiently and honest way, he faces
many obstacles. An introvert, innocent and straight forward individual faces more problems in
doing work freely, creatively, peacefully. The reason is that some employees at work place are
appointed from many years and they try to control people, so that their ego can be satisfied.
Page 2 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1257
But if the people at work place start the person torturing mentally, physically by taking most of
the person along with them, then this is called bullying. Through out the nations, bullying is
spreading like a dangerous disease.
Many research studies reveals about this problem. One of such study is of Salin, D.(2003) which
reflects the ways of explaining workplace bullying. This study explored that from past three
decades workplace bullying has been widely researched and documented as severe stressor,
resulting in destructive outcomes to individuals and organizations. ACAS defines workplace
bullying as “offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of
power through means that undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the person being bullied”.
The Health and Safety Executive emphasises this is a pattern of behaviour rather than isolated
instances, happening “repeatedly and persistently over time”.
Another study is a study of the ITES-BPO sector in 2012 which reflected survey done on an
empirical enquiry undertaken in India's ITES-BPO sector to ascertain the presence of workplace
bullying, influence of socio-cultural factors, the nature of bullying categories. Work harrasment
scale administred on 1036 people located in 6 cities showed that 44.3% people experienced
bullying at moderate level and 19.7% people at severe level.
The 2017 US Workplace Bullying Survey showed that almost 60% US workers are affected by
it. It has also been shown that although workplace bullying is not equally split between men
(70%) and women (30%), women tend to bully more women than men (more than 65% in both
cases). Studies have also shown that women can carry unconscious bias against women.
Arpana Rai (2017) explored the process of work place bullying in Indian organizations. This
study adopted the grounded theory approach and centred as the participants experiences,
interpretations and reactions towards bullying. In total, 23 self reported victims formed the
sample of the study. This study revealed that the process of workplace bullying in Indian
organizations can be broadly explained.
Unnecessarily commenting, teasing, finding faults in target person, pasting tags of anti-social,
negative, spreading rumors, making large group of people against single target person are the
ways of hurting person mentally. Bullying doesn’t happen "by accident", its a deliberate action,
Page 3 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1258
and even though perpetrators might say they “meant no harm” when reprimanded, bullying often
involves a planned campaign by the bully with the likelihood of negative intent.
INTENTIONS OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVE IN BULLYING
1. Such people try to isolate the target person by enlarging their group. So that nobody can
believe the single target person, if he/she complains about their bad intentions and
behavior.
2. Spreads rumours and fake information about the target person so that everyone starts
creating the same mind set up as they have for the target person.
3. Such people suffer from psychological illness as they love hurting and spoiling healthy
image of that person.
4. Such people are trained liers as they can twist any statement according to their self
motive.
5. Try to show other people superior rather than target person as they have insecurities from
the target as he/ she worked.
6. They select an introvert and soft hearted person as target, who often remain silent and
don’t explain injustice done to him from person to person.
7. Such person or group of people can’t work for welfare for anybody but for satisfying
their motives only.
8. Such people can’t do anything creative as every time they involve in making conspiracies
against some body.
TYPES OF BULLYING
1. Person relating bullying: The people who involve in bullying are the person who can’t
tolerate somebody more talented in comparative to them. Due to their own inferior
feelings, consistent jealous nature, low achievements, strong desire of appreciation and
power, new people, new ways of working, appreciation of new appointed person are not
acceptable to such people. Now grouping of colleagues is done against the target person
and process of bullying starts. Consistent comments regarding looks, regarding working
style, regarding behaviour starts against the target. Bullying group try to spoil image of
target person by spreading rumors. Here only their activities do not stop, person is being
