Browsing by Author "Tammi, Pauliina"

In this Bachelor's thesis, I examine workplace bullying, its causes and consequences and how it appears in the well-being of Finnish teachers. According to the Finnish educational trade union OAJ (2018) the well-being of teachers has in recent years dropped significantly and one of the crucial factors is the prevalence of the experiences of inappropriate treatment and bullying. The phenomenon of bullying at workplaces has been studied in the Nordic countries for a few decades, but the problem still affects many Finnish workplace. Workplace bullying reduces the well-being of the employees and work efficiency, thus causing costs for the individual and the organization. According to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (2016) about 35% of employees are experiencing or witnessing workplace bullying in Finland. The phenomenon can occur at any workplace regardless of occupation, age, gender or status. The bully can also be any member of the work community; a colleague, supervisor, subordinate. According to most definitions bullying at work appears in the long run as an systematic, inappropriate and negative behaviour by one or more members of the work community against to the victim who becomes defenseless in the situation. However the definition of workplace bullying is not unambiguous as experiences are very subjective and context-related. Based on the material I used in this literature review, the workplace bullying among teachers appears in similar way with workers in other fields. The causes of workplace bullying can be caused by both individual and structural factors. The most common reasons of workplace bullying is the difference between the victim and the bully, the jealousy of the bully, work-related haste and stress, lack of resources, poor leadership, and the culture of the workplace. Workplace bullying is most often manifested as social isolation and discrimination, slander and disparagement of one’s professional skills. Workplace bullying almost invariably causes physical and psychological symptoms to the victims. The most symptoms are depression, self-esteem problems, suspicion of one's own skill, persistent sick leave, and dissatisfaction with work. Although the subject has been studied for a relatively long time and solutions have been developed from legislation to training, still nothing permanent has yet been done to eliminate the phenomenon.