Preparation: Read the NEA-Alaska news releases on the EEOC website and conduct the required research on the EEOC website. (See Required Reading for details on how to find the news releases.)
Additional Information to consider: There is no federal law against bullying, though many states are beginning to pass such laws, and many employers now have anti-bullying policies. There is a law against gender-based discrimination, Title VII, or the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
There are plenty of existing HRM tools and techniques to deal with bullies, and for many reasons, managers frequently fail to address bullying in the workplace. You are likely to encounter a bully during your career, either as a victim, or as a person in a position to do something to stop the bullying–a higher manager, a leader in the organization; this assignment is a chance to plan how you will react to this encounter when you are in a responsible position.
Let’s look more closely at the issues in the NEA-Alaska case and figure out what we might do differently.
Essay: Answer the following questions; most questions can be answered with a paragraph. For full points, you must number your paragraphs.
1) In the 2006 case, do you think Harvey’s behaviors created a “hostile work environment”? Explain and support your answer. Must cite the definition of hostile environment in your answer. You may find that definition at EEOC.gov, or other sites, See Required Reading.
2) Describe and compare Harvey’s behaviors in the 2009 second complaint to his behaviors described in the 2006 lawsuit, are they substantially similar?
3) Why do you think Harvey was emboldened to continue his behavior even while the 2006 lawsuit was in progress?
4) In your manager role, describe the actions you plan to take if you receive a complaint about bullying behavior(s). Cite to tools, ideas, techniques, actions, or processes that we have learned in this class, or that you have discovered through your research. You must identify a reasonable course(s) of action based on sound HRM principles and tools that we have learned in this class. There are a series of steps you should take–what are they?
5) How do you think organizations can eliminate bully applicants during the hiring process? Identify and discuss filters that might help.
6) Script the DESC conversation you will have with the bully. You may be brief and to the point.