[Current Issues]

This review paper considers the increasing recognition that workplace bullying is attracting in the practitioner and academic literature. The paper defines workplace bullying as an abuse of power, and identifies coercive power as the main source on which bullies rely. The paper shows that bullying starts in childhood, where it is receiving considerable attention as a problem in schools, and has also been exposed in some Australian universities. It is becoming an issue in the Australian workplace, although stronger empirical support for this argument is still needed. The paper concludes with eleven specific recommendations to alleviate workplace bullying, with the most pressing being to implement legislation and organisational procedures under which victims of workplace bullying can seek redress.


KEYWORDS
Workplace bullying; victims in the workplace; coercive power; organisational procedures
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For further information regarding this article contact:     marchant@usq.edu.au