Analysis of Effects of Workplace Bullying on Bystanders in Manufacturing Sector

Organizations can spend exorbitant amounts on employee engagement and turnover only to experience high employee turnover and low employee engagement. Researchers have found numerous organizational behaviors that impede an employee’s ability to perform to their abilities and remain engaged in their job function, as well as remain aligned with the goals of the organization. The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of manufacturing employees who had witnessed workplace bullying and the meaning they ascribed to their bullying experience and management’s efforts in combating workplace bullying. Data were collected using a formal, semi-structured interview approach with eighteen participants who represented current or former employees of eleven different manufacturing firms in Northwestern, Pennsylvania. Five essences were revealed from the data, and three stages were further investigated. The three stages (the experience, the reaction, and the personal effect) suggested that the bystanders endured emotional turmoil both psychologically and physiologically towards the workplace bullying act they witnessed. The research findings further suggest that the participants defined their experience as a determinant of engagement with the organization and management. The bystanders viewed bullying as a shortcoming in leadership, as many participants shared their expectations that management must address the bullying situations to ensure a safe, comfortable working environment for all employees.