Unattractive Workers More Likely To Be Bullied

Unattractive Workers More Likely To Be Bullied

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Anxiety / Stress
Article Date: 23 Jun 2013 - 0:00 PDT

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A new study conducted at Michigan State University found that "unattractive" and/or disagreeable people are at a higher risk of being bullied by their co-workers.

â€¨Brent Scott, the lead investigator of the study, said that the finding is rather "ugly" itself.

He added that even though many professionals like to believe they act mature at work, it can end up being "just like high school in many ways."

It's already established that attractive high school students are generally more popular and less likely to be bullied, however, this study is the first of its kind to identify a link between attractiveness and bullying in the workplace.

A total of 114 people who worked at a health care facility in the southeastern U.S. were surveyed.

They were asked questions about whether they were ever bullied or made fun of during work.

Some examples of workplace bullying among employees include:

Shouting or swearing
spreading false rumors
pushing or other forms of physical abuse
intimidating the employee
tampering with their belongings

The attractiveness of the workers were judged by people who didn't know them.

Compared to the attractive employees those who were considered to be unattractive were much more harshly treated, even when factors such as age, gender, and how long they had worked there were taken into account.

In addition, questionnaires were given to the worker's family and friends to find out how agreeable and friendly they were.

Based on the results, the researchers found that disagreeable workers and unattractive employees were treated more harshly than their co-workers.

Scott concluded:

"Our findings revealed that both personality and appearance matter. Knowing the potential targets of hurtful behavior could help managers monitor susceptible employees to prevent them from becoming victims or to provide counseling and social support if prevention attempts fail."

The findings were published in the journal Human Performance.

The effects of workplace bullying

Workplace bullying inflicts more harm on employees than sexual harassment. A team at the University of Manitoba found that workers who experience bullying are more likely to quit their job or have worse relations with their bosses.

However, it's not only those who are the victims of bullying that are affected. A group of Canadian researchers found that working in a place where bullying is witnessed is more likely to make people want to leave their jobs than being the victim of bullying.

â€¨ In addition, a report published in BMJ Open revealed that people who witness bullying in the workplace, or are victims of bullying are more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications, such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills or antidepressants.

Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Minggu, 23 Juni 2013