THE CHANGING WORKPLACE

Workplaces are changing Ior diIIerent reasons. Reasons such as: competition, greed oI
business to drive proIit margins higher which most times will result in displacement and
unemployment oI workers. Even the rise oI small business cannot stop the increase in negative
survival behaviour like workplace hostilities/bullying/mobbing crossing international borders -
this phenomenon has been reported in every country. Everybody is vulnerable and could Iind
them cleaned in the corridors iI they are not alert.

Workplace bullying reIers to 7050,90/unreasonable actions oI individuals (or a group)
directed towards an employee (or a group oI employees), which are intended to intimidate,
degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the health or saIety oI the
employee(s).
Workplace bullying oIten involves an abuse or misuse oI power. Bullying behavior
creates Ieelings oI deIenselessness and injustice in the target and undermines an individual`s
right to dignity at work.
Bullying is diIIerent Irom aggression. Whereas aggression may involve a single act, bullying
involves repeated attacks against the target, creating an on-going patternoI behavior. 'Tough or
'demanding bosses are not necessarily bullies as long as they are respectIul and Iair and their
primary motivation is to obtain the best perIormance by setting high yet reasonable expectations
Ior working saIely.
Some bullying situations involve employees bullying their peers, rather than a supervisor
bullying an employee. The term mobbing reIers to a group oI coworkers targeting another
worker. Supervisors should intervene immediately to address and stop mobbing behaviors.
ompetition is the guiding principle oI a country`s economy. When used appropriately,
competition raises the bar Ior the quality oI goods and services, as well as the skill levels oI
employees. However, inappropriate uses oI competition can result in turI wars, management by
intimidation, heads oI departments 'Iighting Ior budgets, incentive programs that reward only
one or a Iew persons, individuals withholding important inIormation Irom other individuals,
grudges being held between coworkers, malicious gossip and jokes, destroyed interpersonal
relationships, low morale and productivity, and unresolved conIlicts, or worse, conIlicts that
need never have existed. Many leaders, managers and employees, who are otherwise aIIable,
reasonable, peaceIul people, buy into the competitive win/lose paradigm without questioning its
true aIIects.
The Individual as a PerIormer
In any workplace persons have diIIerent personalities and behaviors. An individual`s personality
doesn`t just aIIect them, it aIIect everyone around them. An individual should not be treated the
same as the next person because everyone around them. An individual should not be treated the
same as the next person because everyone is diIIerent.
Individual behaviour is determined by many Iactors such as:
Environmental factors - which include the culture oI the society in which an individual
is brought up, the norms set by parents, teachers and other social groups with which the
individual interacts, and other situations and experiences he undergoes in his liIe. Norms,
attitudes and values are speciIic to a culture, remain consistent over time and pass on
Irom one generation to another.
Heredity The biological, physiological or psychological characteristics that an
individual is born with.
$ituations diIIerent situations bring out diIIerent aspects oI an individual`s personality.
People do not act in a similar manner in all situations, but exhibit diIIerent behavioural
responses in diIIerent situations. Two diIIerent people may exhibit diIIerent behaviours
in similar situations.
Attitude is expressed in either satisIaction or dis-satisIaction and the interaction between them.
II a person has a Ieeling oI unhappiness on the job, it can have an aIIect in other areas as well,
such as personal liIe.


REFERENCE$
http://www.lni.wa.gov/saIety/research/Iiles/bullying.pdI
http://www.whoopeedoo.com/site/articles/competition.pdI