Abstract

SOARES NUNES, Thiago  and  TOLFO, Suzana da Rosa. Policies and practices to prevent and combat workplace bullying in a Brazilian university. Salud de los Trabajadores [online]. 2012, vol.20, n.1, pp.61-74. ISSN 1315-0138.

Over the past few years, workplace bullying has come to be considered a form of violence that can be subtle, yet devastating to the worker who suffers; thus, it should be researched further. Since this violence occurs mainly within an organization, both the organization and its managers should implement preventive measures and deterrants of workplace bullying. This study describes worker perceptions on policies and practices to prevent and combat workplace bullying in a university. The study was a descriptive case report that combined quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were collected via an online survey and supplemented by interviews of university faculty and staff. Statistical software was used for both the quantitative and content analyses, linking these to the literature. Regarding policies/practices to prevent and combat bullying, 47.7% of participants felt that bullying in the university environment is common and 81.4% noted that their initial orientation had not included training on this topic. Overall, 80.6% of respondents were unable to identify any institutional policy for the prevention and elimination of workplace bullying. Thus, it is necessary to generate not only greater awareness of this topic, but also to develop and implement preventive and corrective policies and measures that ensure the effectiveness of the process.

Keywords : bullying; violence; prevention; university.

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