Research Proposal on Causes and Consequences of Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying has become of concern because it affects employees' productivity and organizational performance. The issue exists in most organizations, and this ubiquity makes professionals examine its drivers and consequences on the workforce and these entities. Bullying in the workplace affects men and women, and this reduces their self-esteem, lead to high turnover, as well as depression and anxiety among others. These factors derail personnel productivity and have inherent costs on workers and the organization (Fowler, 2020). Therefore, cogent research on bullying, its causes, and consequences would reveal how it affects employees' productivity and organizational performance as well as show that it has cost implications.     

Research Problem

Workplace bullying has severe impacts on personnel with consequent effects on organizational performance. As a result, the need to identify the potential causes of this menace and how it influences performance is imperative (Kane, 2019). Through research, one can understand the impetuses for workplace bullying, how it affects employees as well as organizational performance.       

Purpose of the Study

The study will enable the researcher to investigate the causes of workplace bullying and how it affects personnel productivity and organizational performance, and examine its associated costs. Employees are exigent to any organization, and they influence efficiency and effectiveness (Valtin. 2018). Since bullying has physical and psychological effects, the research will investigate how these affect the cost of operation.  

Research Question

1. What factors lead to workplace bullying, and how does it affect the workers and organizations, and does these consequences have any cost implication?

Hypothesis

#H0: Workplace bullying does not affect employees' productivity as well as organizational performance.

#H1: Workplace bullying affects employees’ productivity as well as organizational performance.

#H0: Workplace bullying does not expose workers and organizations to additional costs.

#H0: Workplace bullying exposes workers and organizations to additional costs.  

Literature Review

Different issues lead to workplace bullying, and this explains why the management should be aware of these causes due to their severe impacts on employees and the organization. According to Valtin (2018), unsolved or badly managed bullying in an organization has resulted in workforce disengagement, and this has seen more than 75% of American workers get affected. Further, besides dictatorial leadership, organizational change in tandem with conflicting demands, lead to workplace bullying (Sansone & Sansone, 2015). Thus, such factors as poor leadership, unmatching demands, and unprecedented changes in an organization lead to workforce bullying.

Moreover, workforce bullying has negative consequences on workers’ productivity and organizational performance various which explains the need to address it. Agarwal (2018) confirms that almost 46% of employees who face workforce bullying suffer from adverse work performance and negative mental health. Kane (2019) reiterates the same concerns and isolate health complications that emanate from stress, lost productivity, and reduced performance as among the effects of workplace bullying. Other authors attribute cost on lost time, employee turnover, and insurance costs to this workplace hazard (Fowler, 2020; Valtin, 2018). Therefore, workplace bullying has severe consequences on employees and the organization.        

Type of Research Design

The research design will be a mixed-method and will involve the use of qualitative together with quantitative approaches for the collection and analysis of data, and presentation findings. The researcher will be concerned with the causes of workplace bullying and how they affect workers and entities (Oflazoglu, 2017). As a result, the need to design the study qualitatively and quantitatively becomes imperative.

Sample Criteria

The researcher will employ sample criteria that are goal oriented and allow accurate representation of the target population. It will also be vital to consider a sample proportion and randomness (Oflazoglu, 2017). Thus, sample criteria will play a critical role in this study to warrant accuracy and objectivity.      

Sample Method

The researcher will employ random sampling in this research, and this will involve choosing participants by chance. This approach suffices because it avoids any bias and makes the study objective (Oflazoglu, 2017). Therefore, random sampling is the most appropriate approach for this study.

Data Collection

Interviewing and issuing survey questionnaires will provide relevant methods for data collection. These two approaches will enable the researcher to gather sufficient data for analysis (Oflazoglu, 2017). Thus, the study will involve interviewing the chosen sample and issuing them with a questionnaire.     

Data Analysis

Data analysis will mostly rely on quantitative approaches to calculate the various ratios while qualitative analysis will help to interpret the results. The researcher will then use the outcome to confirm or reject the hypothesis (Oflazoglu, 2017). As a result, qualitative and quantitative analysis prove exigent to this stud.    

Ethical Consideration

The primary ethical consideration will be to seek the consent of the participant before they can participate in this study. Besides, the researcher will assure these people of the confidentiality of their information (Oflazoglu, 2017). These ethical considerations will ensure that no one violates any ethical provisions during the research period.