the effect of abusive supervision on employees

Bullying has been documented in the workplace on many occasions. It involves violating a person's rights in such a way that the individual is either physically or mentally damaged, or both. “Bullying in the workplace has gained widespread coverage in both popular and scholarly media. According to research, it has affected anywhere from one-third to one-half of existing workers. Despite the fact that the American workplace is primed for coercion, the US lags behind European countries that have passed laws banning it.” (Spring 2012, p. 34, Sanders, Pattison, and Bible) It has been reported that recently hired and existing employees at the Miami Coalition, Inc. we’re being subjected to a hostile work environment as well as hostile behavior by the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). An external investigation into the allegations of an abusive supervisor (namely the CEO) at the Miami Coalition, Inc. (“the organization”) was conducted. The allegations were found to be true. It was also discovered that recently hired employees voluntarily terminate their employment at the Miami Coalition, Inc. within three to four months of being hired due to the hostile work environment and the hostile behavior of the CEO. The CEO managed the organization by using coercive power—the use of psychological and emotional threats, humiliation as well as verbal and written reprimands, demotion and termination (Griffin, 2016, p. 331).

Definition

“Abusive supervision is defined as “subordinates’ perceptions of the extent to which supervisors engage in the sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors, excluding physical contact” (Harris, Harvey, Harris, & Cast, 2013, p. 39). According to Harris, Harvey, Harris, & Cast, (Harris, Harvey, Harris, & Cast, 2013, p. 40) “…abusive supervision includes ridiculing, publicly criticizing, or giving the silent treatment. It represents a negative exchange and is likely to elicit negative reciprocity.”

Effect on Employees and the Organization

“In the case of abusive supervision, employees are likely to feel less positively about their work (higher frustration and lower perceived organizational support) and react negatively towards others in the workplace. Although subordinates may want to reciprocate negative treatment to their supervisor, it is difficult to do so because of power differences, reward controls, and future implications. A safe target for an abused subordinate to vent aggression toward is often coworkers” (Harris, Harvey, Harris, & Cast, 2013, p. 40).

“American firms are now beginning to recognize that bullies poison their work environment with low morale, job dissatisfaction, fear, anger, and depression. It is understood that the employer pays for this in lost efficiency, absenteeism, sick leave due to stress-related illnesses, high staff turnover, severance packages, lawsuits, self-defensive paperwork, and wasted time at work involving targets defending themselves and networking for support. In extreme cases, violence may be the tragic result of workplace bullying” (Sanders, Pattison, & Bible, Spring 2012, p. 29). “The cost of abusive supervision to organizations was estimated at $23.8 billion annually and entailed loss of productivity, absenteeism, and health care costs. Furthermore, abusive supervision is associated with low perceived organizational support; meaning employees who reported being victims of abusive supervision view the organization as responsible for the supervisor’s actions” (Mathieu & Babiak, 2016, p. 102).

Severity of the Problem

“The American workplace has become primed for bullying due largely to the economic pressures that exist today and to the growth of the service sector, which now represents over seventy percent of the economy. Because the service industry work involves significant face-to-face or voice-to-voice interaction, it is susceptible to personality clashes that afford potential bullies greater opportunities” (Sanders, Pattison, & Bible, Spring 2012, p. 3).

Alternative Solutions

We have identified two alternatives to correcting the behavior of the Chief Executive Officer: (1) executive coaching or (2) Disciplinary Notice.



The executive coaching

Executive coaching is usually an important and influential contributor to the running of a company or any organizational regarding change and talent improvement objectives. Executive coaching is a crucial approach over which leadership in multifaceted as well as self-motivated organizations can be established using real-life encounters. Identifying various organizations in which different leaders work, executive coaching mainly emphases on three areas; organization or companies, Individuals as well as the business team.

Executive coaching uses a variety of vigorous mental theories as well as confirmed techniques from counseling, coaching, psychotherapy and also organization development. The coaching team usually works with the aim to strengthen organization capability in initiating various organizational changes.

The executive coaching team brings out a unique incorporation of businesses as well as behavioral awareness and proficiency. The coaches usually have experience in business, teaching and consulting. They conduct research with prominent businesses and public sector organizations internationally. Many of our faculty and consultants are also experienced and competent since they undergo consistent regulation.

Through interactive approach, our coaches are expected to work with some levels comprising of:

• The relationships with, and expectations about, a business and the relationships that exists within the organization

• What is brought from the organization relations?

Disciplinary Notice

Management of employees in a workstation is usually a multifaceted responsibility. Managerial leaders are conversant with the convolutions that are essential in managing an organization. An example of a difficult, inevitable incidence in running an organization is the battle. It signifies a struggle between two conflicting ideas. With this being, conflicts between a manager and an employee are most probably a constant encounter in the workstation.

An established and a sound relationship amongst the organization and employees only depend upon the regulation that is practiced by the manager of that organization. For instance for ensuring of maintenance of those relationships as a condition is to uphold a specific performance and behavioral values amongst the workers and the managerial staff. Disciplinary measures should be acted upon to the employees, for instance, they have not adhered to the standards; the disciplinary will act otherwise as the measures are to be imposed thus advancing their performance and upholding the firm understanding. However, if the workers do not comply with the style of performing disciplinary activities, it is opted to set back the association in the middle of the manager and the workers.

The assurance and believe that the unfriendly duties of an administrative manager are to ensure that the practice of a corrective action to an employee who has violated the regulations has to be acted upon him or her. Although the primary and the core objective is to incorporate the employee's undesirable behaviors and conducts, their adoptions are frequently displayed to contrasting individual interpretations.





Pros of Executive Coaching

Executive coaching in organizations is significant in the sense that it allows the promotion of effective teamwork in addition to improving the overall performance. It also assists in providing guidance and nurturing of adequate leadership skills among the members of management in an organization (Friginal 2007). The improvement in skills in return result in improvement in the competitive level of an organization such that it gains a competitive advantage. Adequate leadership also promoted good behavior as employees emulate how members of management coordinate themselves. Executive coaching allows the improvement and progress of individuals that are highly competent such that it prepares them for leadership duties in future. The coaching also facilitates the development of good relations between the management and the employees by which the management sets up rules which everyone is expected to follow. Good relations facilitate adequate handling of conflicts because of the level of understanding among the employees in addition to the management (Friginal, 2007). In regards to bullying, executive coaching can be used to instill adequate leadership skills to the management such that they can eliminate it from the workplace.

Cons of Executive Coaching

It is important to note that executive coaching lacks particular demerits because of the significant role it plays in the management of an organization. Nonetheless, inefficiencies in managing it may result in problems. From a practical perspective, providing coaching without adequate assessment on how bullying can be eliminated from the workplace might lead to an unproductive session and a wastage of resources. Another limitation entails not assessing the possible risk that may interfere with a coaching session which may interfere with the goals of a coaching session (Friginal, 2007).

In a business surrounding where performance achieved from the company objectives and goals worked for hand in hand with the management is believed to be everything for the advancement, business coaching is trusted to help improve the growing performance, give morale to the employees and institute new strategies for the achievement of the company. As opposed to being a small business sole proprietor, you will realize that the advantages of business coaching are more of value than the unexpected upfront costs.















References

Griffin, R. W. (2016). Fundamentals of Management. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Friginal, E. (2007). Outsourced call centers and English in the Philippines.

World Englishes, 26(3), 331-345.

Harris, K. J., Harvey, P., Harris, R. B., & Cast, M. (2013). An Investigation of Abusive Supervision, Vicarious Abusive Supervision, and Their Joint Impacts. The Journal of Social Psychology, 153(1), 38-50.



Mathieu, C., & Babiak, P. (2016). Personality and Individual Differences. Elsevier(91), 102-106.



Sanders, D. E., Pattison, P., & Bible, J. D. (Spring 2012). Legislating "Nice": Analysis and Assessment of Proposed Workplace Bullying Prohibitions. Southern Law Journal, 22(1), 1-36.