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Workplace Bullying

Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics

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Synonyms

Abusive supervision; Harassment in the Workplace; Mobbing; Workplace incivility

Definition

Bullying at work entails the persistent unfair treatment of staff by one or more employees, often of greater seniority than the victims. Bullying can be covert, subtle, and emotional in nature or more overt and physical and can include rudeness, yelling, sarcasm, overworking, name calling, sexual harassment, creating scapegoats, threats, and even violence. In terms of origins there is debate over whether culture or leadership makes up the primary causes of bullying, and these two are interrelated. Bullying stems particularly from leaders with dark personalities – the self-interested, politically skilled psychopaths, Machiavellians, and narcissists who may be found in the workplace. The bullying can be instrumental in that it is used as a camouflage for other, more nefarious activities, which workplace colleagues are hesitant to investigate for fear of being bullied. The bullying may also...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leadership and Organisation Behaviour, Middlesex University, London, UK

    Clive R. Boddy

Authors
  1. Clive R. Boddy
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Correspondence to Clive R. Boddy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Deborah C Poff

  2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

Section Editor information

  1. Middlesex University, London, UK

    Clive R. Boddy

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Boddy, C.R. (2018). Workplace Bullying. In: Poff, D., Michalos, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_7-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_7-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1

  • eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Workplace Bullying
    Published:
    13 November 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_7-2

  2. Original

    Workplace Bullying
    Published:
    26 September 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_7-1

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