Managing Workplace Bullying and Social Media Policy: Implications for Employee Engagement.

This paper examines the implications of workplace bullying and social media policy and its impact on employees in today's organizations. The paper focuses on defining workplace bullying and other types of E-harassment in the workplace. Workplace bullying has been defined in numerous ways. Two of the most recognized names in the field defined workplace bullying as "the repeated, malicious, health endangering mistreatment of one employee... by one or more employees" (Namie & Namie, 2003, p.3). Although workplace bullying continues to increase, organizations have been reluctant or may be unprepared to effectively deal with the issue (Yamada, 2008). The implications of workplace bullying can be substantial for management and the effective engagement of the employees. As employees and our society increased its reliance on social media as a means of communication, management and organizations must become more proactive in crafting policies and guidelines. The proverbial "school-yard bully" is no longer the problem of the elementary school principal but must be effectively managed by today's organizations. The over-reliance and often impersonal use of social media has created new avenues for workplace bullying. Management and administrators may not fully comprehend the ramifications that cyberbullying or E-harassment may have within their workplace (Piotrowski, 2012). The paper concludes with practical management strategies for organizational leaders to consider when handling workplace bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]