Managing Workplace Bullying from Contextualised South African Perspective: A Narrative Approach

Abstract

Workplace bullying remains a pervasive issue globally, affecting employee well-being and organisational performance. This study explores the phenomenon of workplace bullying from a contextualised South African perspective, employing a narrative approach to capture the nuanced experiences and perspectives of individuals within the workplace. Based on a qualitative design, purposive sampling was used, and 21 employees were interviewed. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data was analysed using the content analysis method. Two themes and four subthemes were identified. Firstly, response to bullying Behaviour with two subthemes (passive response & active response). Secondly, managing bullying Behaviour with four subthemes (personal management, organisational management, responsibility for managing bullying & managing bullying Behaviour through prevention). Most participants managed workplace bullying by “doing nothing”. The data also showed that age and gender played a significant role in the African contexts, taking into consideration shared cultural believes and customs. The study further provided a practical model for managing workplace bullying from an African perspective. Furthermore, the study proposes a need for workplace bullying legislation to further increase the severity of bullying Behaviour. The study also highlights a need to incorporate indigenous knowledge when managing workplace bullying. Based on the results, this study also proposed model of managing workplace bullying from a South African perspective. The findings contribute to both theoretical understandings of workplace bullying and practical interventions tailored to the South African context, ultimately fostering healthier and more supportive work environments.