Workplace Bullying from a Reward Theory’s Perspective

 

The reward theory plays a pivotal role in managing bullying within the workplace. Bullying can be considered as a life-changing event because it alters the perspective and attitude of victims towards various elements related to their work. Bullying has a reward for the perpetrator and understanding one’s motivation helps in establishing the source of aggression (Akella, 2020). Psychologists argue that it is necessary for organizational leaders to examine the workplace environment for any possible rewards that might be encouraging bullies.

Studies have shown that in workplaces where bullying is prevalent, there is a high likelihood that bullies have identified gaps within the corporate culture that allow them to intimidate others without fear of suffering any repercussions (Curry, 2016). While some victims of bullying have the advantage of getting psychological assistance, others tend to deal with their trauma alone and end up being depressed. Such experiences lead victims to develop a negative outlook on life, thus lowering their productivity at work. This often happens when one does not speak about his or her experiences and continue working under toxic conditions.

Eliminating Bullies from the Workplace

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For maximum productivity, employees need a healthy working environment that allows one to give maximum output. Since the effects of workplace bullying are mainly psychological, creating a good communication structure makes it easy for bullies to be identified and dealt with in a professional manner (Gattis, 2018). Eliminating bullies from the workplace helps to increase cohesion among workers, thus improving the dynamics of teamwork and promoting corporate values. There is an urgent need for organizational leaders to create employee development and welfare programs, which act as their safe avenues for dealing with work-related challenges (Cobb, 2017).

In addition, the programs promote healthy competition within the workplace because co-workers will stop seeing each other as threats. Employers should involve employees in team building activities, which play a pivotal role in building cohesion and increasing awareness among individuals involved in the workplace. Workplace bullying should be highly discouraged because it has many negative effects that lead an organization to lose its competitive advantage, which can take years to regain. Organizational leaders should focus on building a healthy workplace culture characterized by constructive feedback.

Conclusion

Workplace bullying is a vice that characterizes many workplaces in the contemporary world. This form of psychological aggression aims at degrading the targeted person within the workplace. Bullies often pick out individuals whom they consider as a threat to their progression within their workplace. Some of the common causes of bullying within the workplace include negative work environments, a dysfunctional corporate culture, and lack of effective communication structures. Workplace bullying has negative effects on victims and the organization as a whole. Victims tend to lose interest in their work, become overly anxious, and some can end up depressed.

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