Imagine this: when leaving the office, you realize that a manager rebukes an employee. You assume that the worker made some kind of error, but the manager’s behavior seems unprofessional. Later, while you prepare dinner, does the scene keep weighing, or is it out of view, out of mind?
If you think I would still bother you, you are not alone. It turns out that the simple fact of observing abuse at work can have a surprisingly strong impact on people, even those who are not directly involved. That is according to a new investigation led by Edwyna Hill, in co -authorship with Rachel Burgess, Manuela Priesthh, Jefferson McClain and I, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Using a method called meta-analysis, which takes the results of many different studies and combines them to produce a general set of findings, we review the growing research body about what administration teachers as I call “perceptions of third parties on abuse.” In this context, the “third parties” are the people who observe ill -treatment between an aggressor and the victim, who are the first and second part.
158 studies published in 105 magazine articles with thousands of participants were analyzed. These studies explored a series of different forms of abuse in the workplace, ranging from incivility to abusive supervision and sexual harassment. Some of these studies were carried out in real workplaces, while others examined abuse in strictly controlled laboratory environments.
You may be interested: ‘Hostility’, ‘Discrimination’ and fund cuts mark refugee day in the US
The results were surprising: we discovered that observing a co -worker being mistreated at work has significant effects on the emotions of the observers. In fact, we discover that abuse observers can be as affected by what happened as people really involved in the event.
These reactions are found throughout a spectrum, some useful, others not so much. On the encouraging side, we find that observers tend to judge the perpetrators and feel empathy for the victims. These reactions discourage abuse by creating a climate that favors the victim. On the other hand, we discover that observers can also enjoy seeing their coworkers, an emotion called “Schadenfreude”, or blaming the victim. These types of reactions damage equipment dynamics and deter people from denouncing abuse.
Why is it important?
These findings are important because the abuse in the workplace is disturbingly common, and even more frequently observed that it is experienced. A recent study found that 34% of employees have experienced abuse in the first -hand workplace, but 44% have observed that it happens to another person. In other words, almost half of the workers are likely to have seen a scenario as described at the beginning of this article.
Unfortunately, the human resources manual on abuse in the workplace rarely takes into account third parties. Any investigation is carried out, which can result in some punishment for the perpetrator and some support for the victim. A more effective response to abuse in the workplace would recognize that damage often extends beyond the victim, and that observers may also need support.
What is not yet known
What is needed now is a better understanding of the nuances involved in the observation of abuse. Why do some observers react with empathy, while others get pleasure from the suffering of others? And why can observers feel empathy for the victim, but still respond by judging or blaming it? Answering these questions is an upcoming crucial step for researchers and leaders who seek to design more effective policies in the workplace.
*Jason Colchitt is a administration professor at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.
This article was originally published in The Conversation/Reuters
Do you like photos and news? Follow us on our Instagram
