<p> Hostile work environment, emotional mistreatment, workplace bullying, psychological harassment--these phrases only begin to describe a phenomenon that is seen as all too commonplace. This study focused on two major questions regarding a recommended policy to address workplace bullying that was adopted in certain school districts of a Western state. First, to determine how effective the policy is believed to be by those who implemented it at their school. Second, to determine what strategies were used to implement the policy and how effective they were perceived to be by those involved. The negative ramifications of a hostile workplace resulting from bullying necessitate a proactive role by employers across the country, and the public school system is not an exception. As laws undoubtedly get passed, employers will have no choice but to address workplace bullying—good human resources practice employs a model before a misfortunate event warrants the need. Superintendents from eight rural Western state school districts were interviewed and participation in an online survey was sought from certified staff at corresponding schools. Superintendents said that the policy is "working" as there were no reported incidents of bullying behavior since its adoption at their respective districts. They did not say nor did they appear to believe that there were incidents of bullying behavior prior to the adoption of the policy. Superintendents overwhelmingly said that they share or make self management strategies available to staff in dealing with coworkers; 63% of the responses to the staff survey supported this finding. Finally, both groups agreed that a policy is needed to address workplace bullying in the event legal protection is needed for either of involved parties.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3620016 |
| Date | 20 June 2014 |
| Creators | Wood, Grace A. |
| Publisher | Capella University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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