Analyzing bullying as an internal communication phenomenon at greater Letaba Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

The problem of workplace bullying remains a persistent concern in many organisations including public sector organisations. Different perspectives have been considered in previous work on addressing the issue to include the role of leadership, the influence of organisational culture and work environments, job demands and cultural and societal factors. However, perspectives incorporating the role of internal communication have been limited. This study covers our knowledge and understanding of the workplace bullying phenomenon in public sector organisations by looking at how internal communication practices interact with factors such as power imbalances, organisational culture and work environment to influence workplace bullying. Using a sample of 79 individuals, the study employed a convergent mixed methods design to examine the experiences of public sector employees and management personnel with workplace bullying in a local municipality setting, and examine the internal communication structures and the power dynamics of the workplace environment that affect the reporting and addressing of bullying behaviour. This approach allowed the study to collect a heterogeneous dataset of perspectives from both frontline and managerial levels on the use of internal communication structures to address workplace bullying in public sector organisations. Thematic content analysis and correlational analysis were used to analyse the qualitative data and the quantitative data respectively. By examining the experiences of public sector employees and management personnel with workplace bullying and exploring the factors that influence the reporting and addressing of this behaviour in a local municipality, this research extends our understanding of the factors that contribute to the use of communication strategies in addressing bullying. Findings revealed that workplace bullying is prevalent in the municipality, taking the form of verbal abuse and exclusionary behaviour, and has negative effects on employee outcomes such as the quality of the work environment, the quality of employee organisation relationship, and the quality of management attributes. Five in eleven participants in the qualitative sample (45%) and 32 of the 68 participants in the quantitative sample (47%) had previous experiences of workplace bullying. The bullying was mostly attributed to power imbalances and discrimination while the communication structures and language at the municipality were identified as risk factors for exposure to bullying. However, the study also found that open communication channels can improve key employee outcomes such as quality of employee organisation relationship and quality of work environment, minimising the negative impacts of workplace bullying exposure. The results also indicate that employees associate open communication structures with perceptions of positive management attributes, providing support for the notion that perceived organisational and supervisor support minimises the negative impacts of workplace bullying exposure. The study recommends interventions that promote inclusive and respectful language, educate employees and management on the signs and features of bullying, and encourage open and transparent communication to report incidents. Each stakeholder has a unique role to play in implementing these interventions: HR can develop policies that support respectful communication, management can receive training on how to recognize and prevent bullying, and employees can report incidents of bullying without fear of retaliation. These recommendations could help create a more positive work environment, where employees can thrive and contribute to organisational success. To further advance research on workplace bullying, future studies could evaluate the effectiveness of open communication programs on reducing exposure to workplace bullying through program design and follow-up evaluations or comparative designs between organisations with different levels of open communication. These suggestions can help inform future research and interventions to create a more positive work environment where employees can thrive and contribute to organisational success.