In collaboration with Professor Helen Winefield and Dr. Aspa Sarris from the University of Adelaide, Moira has published her study on the consequences of being accused of workplace bullying.
It was interesting to note that prior to this study there had been no in-depth research on the effects of being accused of bullying. All of what we know about bullying has been gathered through the perspective of bully targets and to a lesser extent witnesses. The study was part of Moira’s PhD thesis, and she wanted to examine bullying from the perception of the target and the alleged perpetrator. Her research found that even though 67% of the allegations were not substantiated, all of the accused bullies suffered significant psychological problems, and 25% ended up leaving the organisation.
Those that stayed, reported low levels of confidence in their ability to manage staff, were less trusting of their staff and believed their reputation had been damaged by the allegations. She found that many respondents to bullying complaints regulate or hide severe emotional distress and managers who have been accused of workplace bullying require support, education about their behaviours and mentoring whether they have been found guilty of the behaviour or not.
A pdf copy of the article can be found here.