Synopsis 2

1. Introduction

This report will address an interpersonal communication problem with the scope of study focused on the hotel industry. The team has decided to explore methods on how managers can address workplace bullying as well as creating an anti-bullying culture.

Bullying can result in the victim being unable to focus on his or her work and make them difficult or impossible, socially isolate those targeted or stigmatize and discredit people with ridicule, gossip and insults (Adams & Crawford, 1992; Field, 1996; Randall, 2001). Most importantly, workplace bullying does not end after office hours.

With Singapore being one of the countries with lowest happiness index in the recent CNN survey (2012), this training program is essential to equip all our staff with handling bullies at work professionally and therefore, creating a better environment for all of us to work in.

2. Problem statement

Workplace bullying is identified as a pattern of continuous, malicious, insulting, or exclusionary intentional or unintentional behaviors that a target perceives as intentional efforts to harm, control, or drive a coworker from the workplace (Lutgen-Sandvik, 2005). Surveys have discovered that 75 per cent of employees have been a victim or witness or workplace bullying (Fisher-Blando, 2008). The widespread of bullying cases (Needham, 2003) has devastating effects on an employee’s life, family, and career (Namie & Namie, 2003).

Several studies (Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C., 2003; Namie & Namie,2003) have vividly illustrated the pain, mental distress, physical illness, emotional harm, and career damage suffered by victims (targets) of bullying. These symptoms may potentially stay with an individual for his or her entire life if it does not get resolved. It is a serious problem as it not only affects the victim’s mental health but also negatively affect the company’s performance due to presenteeism or even absenteeism (Singapore Management University, 2017).

Bullying damages employees morale and motivation, which likely leads to decreased work efficiency. According to a poll conducted by Harvard Business Review of 800 managers and employees, 47% of respondents worried about bullying intentionally decreased their time spent at work, while 80% lost work time worrying about a bullying incident (Porath & Pearson, 2013). The constant worrying will eventually result in individuals suffering from depression and anxiety. Therefore, it is essential to equip fresh graduates with the right knowledge and skills on how to maneuver and protect themselves through workplace bullying before they step into the workforce.

3. Purpose statement (Objective)

The objective is to equip the fresh graduates - the future managers - with handling of the bullying incidents that is taking place in the hotel. With the labour shortage and high staff turnover rate in the hospitality industry, it is important for management to manage employee welfare by understanding the issue of the bullying to deter future incidents. It is important to address the issue as it will affect staff retention rate in the long run.

4. Problem solution

Every individual working in the hotel have an important role to play in ensuring desirable deliverance of service. Bullying acts as a barrier for teamwork (Rex, 2018) and therefore may create service issue. Besides the welfare and happiness of employee, the hotel’s guest satisfaction is also at stake.

The ideal goal is to create an anti-bullying culture within the hotel, where every employee plays an important role in making it happen. This can be accomplished by having companies prioritising the importance of anti workplace bullying and implementing the necessary measure to minimise them.

The solutions:

4.1 Recognising what is bullying in the workplace
People are often not aware of what is considered bullying in the workplace. They usually bite the bullet and think that the treatment that they are receiving is a norm. Company should define what is considered bullying to them to educate their employee so as to have a better working environment. Bullying constitute many areas and covering the spectrum from the obvious direct bullying to the minor non confrontational one let employee knows any type of bullying will not be tolerated (The importance of having..., 2016). It is important for company to set the tone and deliver the message to employees that any form of bullying is not tolerated and that there will be consequences (Shannon, 2016).

4.2 Get everything in writing
Make the policy tangible by having it in black and white. Just like dress code and conduct manual in hotel, they should set aside time and effort to come up with a booklet to clearly define what is considered bullying and what an employee can do if they are being bullied. Bullying is a very sensitive topic and many are not willing to talk about it openly. To have everything stated clearly in writing allows employee to seek out help remotely (Shannon, 2016).

4.3 Encourage immediate reporting
Hotel should set up a neutral party (usually human resource department) where employee feel save to report incident right away. There they will be able to get help and guidance on what is the most appropriate solution to their issue. This way every employee will feel protected by the company.

Without proper strategy, employee wellbeing are not taken care of. The company will experience higher employee turnover rate creating manpower issue. If the bullying issue are too severe, employee may file against the company for discrimination among other things (The Importance of Having..., 2016).

5. Benefits

Advantages of implementing an anti-bullying policy at the workplace will only improve the overall working culture of the hotel in the long run. The benefits apply to everyone within the organisation and not just the victims of bullying. The benefits of an anti-bullying policy includes:

• More peaceful and productive workforce due to lower tensions at work
• Improved mental health of employees, reduced stress
• Less time lost to sick leave for employees to seek treatment
• Higher staff retention because the environment is healthy
• Lower risk of legal action with no tolerance for bullying or harassment

7. Research method

In this project, a combination of primary and secondary methods will be used. A Professor from the hospitality industry will be interviewed through a face-to-face interview to consolidate the problems mainly faced in the hospitality industry in Singapore. Researches will also be done through academic articles to gather knowledge on how to confront these bullying situations.

8. Conclusion

Workplace bullying and other forms of antisocial behavior will continue to pose a threat to the hotel. However, a strong anti-bullying culture can be the first step to deterring and preventing future bullying cases. All the employees can feel more empowered to assist a victim of bullying now that they can identify all the different forms bullying can take. A strong anti-bullying culture will create an environment that will produce the most motivated employees and in turn, produce the best business results.

9. References

Adams, A., & Crawford, N. (1992). Bullying at work. London: Virago. American Psychological Association. (2005). Bullying.  

Christine R. (2018). We All Need Friends At Work: Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 10 March 2018, from https://hbr.org/2013/07/we-all-need-friends-at-work

Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. (2003). Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace: International perspectives in research and practice

Fisher-Blanco, J. (2008). Workplace Bullying: Aggressive Behavior And Its Effect On Job Satisfaction And Productivity (Ph.D). University Of Phoenix.

Hoegberg, A. (2012). Poll: Are Singaporeans least happy? - CNN. CNN. Retrieved 10 March 2018, from https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/asia/singapore-least-happy/index.html

Lutgen-sandvik, P. (2005). Water Smoothing Stones: Subordinate Resistance To Workplace Bullying (Ph.D). Arizona State University.

Needham, A. W. (2003). Workplace bullying: A Costly Business Secret. Penguin Books; Auckland, N.Z

Singapore Management University (2017). Smu.edu.sg. Retrieved 14 March 2018, from https://www.smu.edu.sg/perspectives/2017/08/31/why-workplace-bullying-so-widespread-and-rising

Huppke, R. The Impact of Workplace Bullying. (2016, October 16). Retrieved from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/careers/ct-huppke-work-advice-1019-biz-20151016-column.html

Gausepohl, S. Protect Your Employees: Have a Bullying Policy. (2016, November 22). Retrieved from: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5900-workplace-bullying-policy.html

The importance of having a workplace anti-bullying strategy. (2016, April 12). Recruiting Times. Retrieved from: http://recruitingtimes.org/opinions/11289/importance-workplace-anti-bullying-strategy/

Synopsis Draft 1

Confronting Bullying in the Hospitality Industry

 1. Introduction 

 According to a research by Harvard Business Review, coworkers play a huge part in an employee’s job performance. Especially when we spend at least 5 of out 7 days working, having healthy relationships with our coworkers is essential to our mental well being. It is reported that one in four adults in Singapore have actually been a victim of bullying in their workplace. Work place bully may come in many forms: unnecessary verbal reprimandation, outcasting of a particular coworker, spreading of unspeakable rumours and biases that leads to unfair distribution of work are just some of them. These actions can result in the victim being unable to focus on his/her work and even resorting to quit his/her job just because of the people at the workplace. Most importantly, workplace bullying does not end after office hours. Being a victim of bullying can cause physical and psychological health problems, including stress, anxiety. These symptoms may potentially stay with an individual for his/her entire life if it does not get resolved. In the recent years, people have been looking into cyber-bullying. But really, why is nobody talking about workplace bullying? This is something that is happening and real that we need to address. With Singapore being one of the countries with lowest happiness index in the recent global survey done, this training program is essential to equip all our staff with handling bullies at work professionally and therefore, creating a better environment for all of us to work in. 

 2. Problem Definition

According to a poll of 800 managers and employees conducted by the Harvard Business Review, 47% of respondents worried about bullying intentionally decreased their time spent at work, while 80% lost work time worrying about a bullying incident. Bullying damages employees morale and motivation, which likely leads to decreased work efficiency. Worse still, workplace bullying may result in individuals suffering from depression and anxiety. As fresh graduates step into the workforce, it is important to equip them with the right skills to manoeuvrer through workplace bullying and protect themselves from such situations. 

 3. Objective 

The primary objective of the project is to raise awareness of bullying in the hospitality industry, specifically hotel sector. Many rank and file employees are subjected to a form of bullying or abuse from their superiors or even colleagues. Most bullying cases are looked over and swept under the rug as it is not taken seriously. The lack of voice from the victims makes bullying seem non-existent though it is not the case. The training aims to aid the victims of bullying and also others who have witnessed the act. The secondary objective is to reduce bullying incidents within the hotel sector and deter them from future occurrences. 

 4. Potential Solution (Implementing the Principles) 

 a. Clearly define what is considered bullying in the workplace. It is often people are not aware what is considered bullying in the workplace. They usually bite the bullet and think that the treatment that they are receiving is a norm. Company should define what is considered bullying to them to educate their employee so as to have a better working environment. 

 b. Get everything in writing Just like dress code and conduct manual in hotel, they should set aside time and effort to come up with a booklet to clearly define what is considered bullying and what an employee can do if they are being bullied. Bullying is a very sensitive topic and many are not willing to talk about it openly. To have everything stated clearly in writing allows employee to seek out help remotely. 

 c. Encourage immediate reporting Have the outlet known to the employees.Reporting undesired behavior to a neutral party (usually human resource) should be encouraged. The hotel should set up safe space for employee to report their situation. There they will be able to get help and guidance on what is the most appropriate solution for every unique situation. 

 5. Research Method 

In this project, a combination of primary and secondary methods will be used. A Professor from the hospitality industry will be interviewed through a face-to-face interview to consolidate the problems mainly faced in the hospitality industry in Singapore. Researches will also be done through academic articles to gather knowledge on how to confront these bullying situations.