The Painful Metahpors of Workplace Bullying
Sarah J. Tracy, Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik, Jess K. Alberts
Management Communication Quarterly, November 2006
Available
online
Workplace bullying negatively impacts employees' physical and mental health, leading to higher company costs including increased employee illness, use of sick days and medical costs, ultimately affecting productivity. Studies report that 25-30 percent of employees experience bullying and emotional abuse sometime during their work life.
In a recent study researching organizational conflict, emotion, wellness and work-life balance, published in the November 2006 issue of SAGE Publication's Management Communication Quarterly, communication researchers Sarah Tracy, Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik and Jess Alberts used metaphor analysis to better understand the emotional pain experienced as a result of workplace bullying.
The study, which was supported by a grant from Research and Economic Affairs at Arizona State University, and is part of "The Project of Wellness and Work-Life," collected qualitative data through focus groups, narrative interviews and target drawings, allowing participants the freedom to describe their workplace harassment as "a battle," "water torture," "a nightmare" or "a noxious substance."
The scientists interviewed 17 women and 10 men ranging from 26 to 72 years old, who had experienced bullying. Since people often have trouble putting into words their emotions surrounding bully behavior, the researchers analyzed the metaphors found throughout the participants' descriptions of bullying. Bullies were described as "two-faced actors" and "devils" and the workers were left feeling like "vulnerable children," "slaves" or "prisoners" in these situations.
Using metaphoric analysis not only helped the participants to communicate, it also helped managers and colleagues to better understand. Managers may be more likely to act on these negative workplace situations, which could result in earlier intervention. The research showed that "emotion can serve as a warning sign that organization interaction is askew. The goal of the research was to further define the emotional trauma and encourage organizational intervention as well as prevention."
