What a Star Case Study

Jane is a model employee when the numbers are considered; however, when considering her relationship with other employees, she is the worst performer in the company. Her co-workers complain about her tendency to spread rumors about her co-workers. She ones spread a rumor that one male co-worker in her department had a mental illness. She would call people names on their face and sometimes behind their back. She had many negative comments about the appearance of people. She also threatened to ruin the reputation of her co-workers across town, which would make it had to get a job because the industry is reputation sensitive. The company he clear anti-bullying policies, however, no action is taken against her despite the numerous complains because she delivers the numbers. The failure of the manager to respond to complaints makes her bolder because she perceives she is untouchable.

The managements response to Janes behavior in the work place is clearly inadequate. The consequence of this inaction has been damaging to the company. Of the 12 employees working with Jane in the same department, nine have quit their job. The three remaining employees remain with the company only because the recession makes it hard to finds another job. Although the bully performs at her tasks, she is limiting the performance of other employees in the department. Therefore, she negatively affects the overall performance of the department. The appropriate way to deal with a bully is to follow the organization set guidelines of acceptable behavior. The manager should have an informal conversation with the victims to establish the alleged bullying incidents. The manager should involve the bully after establishing the consistency of the victims claims and try to mediate the situation informally. If informal mediation fails, the manager should advise the victims to file a formal complaint. This will facilitate legal action and possible termination of the employment. Other actions that the management can take to reduce the incidences of bullying in the workplace are to train the employees on conflict management and best work practices.