Bullying Bosses  After a long weekend, Tangeni stared at her n computer with a sick feeling in her stomach: her boss had added  her as an friend on Facebook. Tangeni did not feel particularly close to her n boss, nor did she like the idea of  mixing her social life with her n work. Still, it was her boss. Tangeni reluctantly accepted her boss as an Facebook  friend. Little did she know her troubles were only beginning.n  Tangeni’s  boss  soon  began  using  her  online  information  to  n manipulate her  work  life.  It began with inappropriate innuendos n regarding Facebook photos. Eventually Tangeni’s boss manipulated her n work hours,  confronted  her  on  and off  Facebook,  and  repeatedly  n called  Tangeni’s  cellphone  questioning  her  whereabouts.  “My  boss n was  a  gossiping,  domineering,  contriving megalomaniac,  and  her  n behavior  dramatically intensified when she used Facebook to pry,” n Tangeni said. Eventually, Tangeni was forced to  quit. “I feel like I n got my freedom back and can breathe again, she said. 

Realizing bullies exist in the workplace is important. n Workplace bullying is becoming increasing pertinent in organisations. n Although some research on workplace bullying exists globally, the n phenomenon is still under  researched  in  South  Africa.  Most  n perpetrators  of  bullying  are  at  a  management  level.  In  South  n African  workplaces, employees  tend to experience more downward n bullying (bullying from a boss) compared to being bullied by direct n colleagues. Men form 62% of bullies, while women are more targets of n bullying (58%).  As is the case with Tangeni, women bullies will target n other women in 80% of the cases, whereas men bullies  target other men n in 55% of the cases. 

Bullies don’t pick on just the weakest in the group; any n subordinate may fall prey. Surprising, though victims  may  feel  less  n motivated  to  go  to  work  every  day, they  continue  performing  n their  required  job  duties.  However,  some are less motivated  to n perform extra‐role or citizenship behaviors. Apart  from employees  n being less motivated to go to work, workplace bullying also affects n their lives in three domains, namely, their  psychological and physical n wellbeing, and in their work performance; the later directly related to n motivation.  Furthermore, productivity and quality of work are also n decreased. 

1. How does workplace bullying violate the rules of organizational justice?

2. What aspects of motivation might workplace bullying reduces? If n so, what might those effects be?  Do you think bullying would motivate n you to retaliate?

3. If you were a victim of workplace bullying, what steps would you n take to try to reduce its occurrence? What  strategies  would  be  the n most  effective?  Least effective?  What  will  you  do  if  one  of  n your  colleagues were a victim?

4. What factors do you believe contribute to workplace bullying? Are n bullies a product of the situation, or do they have flawed n personalities? What situations and what personality factors might n contribute  to the presence of bullies?