Workplace bullying--what's it got to do with general practice?
Deborah A Askew1, Philip J Schluter, Marie-Louise Dick
1Discipline of General Practice, University of Queensland and Research Director, Inala Indigenous Health Service, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland. d.askew@uq.edu.au
Australian Family Physician
|April 4, 2013
Summary
Workplace bullying, illegal and harmful, affects individuals and organizations. General practices require anti-bullying policies and GPs must address patient mental health impacts from bullying.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
- Legal Studies
Background:
- Workplace bullying involves repeated abusive behaviors stemming from power imbalances.
- These actions negatively impact individuals and organizations, creating a hostile work environment.
- Bullying is illegal, with employees having legal recourse against employers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore workplace bullying within Australian general practices.
- To provide a framework for managing bullying situations in these settings.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis of workplace bullying dynamics.
- Development of a management framework for general practices.
Main Results:
- Workplace bullying is prevalent in Australian general practices.
- Existing practices often lack comprehensive anti-bullying strategies.
Conclusions:
- General practices need organization-wide anti-bullying policies with senior management endorsement.
- GPs should assess workplace issues as contributors to patient depression/anxiety and support victims.
- A safe workplace free from bullying is a legal right.
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