Managerial and Organizational Discourses of Workplace Bullying:

OBJECTIVE: To explore how workplace bullying is addressed by hospital nursing unit managers and organizational policies. BACKGROUND: Although workplace bullying is costly to organizations, nurses report that managers do not consistently address the issue. METHODS: This study used discourse analysis to analyze interview data and policy documents. RESULTS: There were differences in the manner in which managers and the policy documents labeled bullying-type behaviors and discussed the roles and responsibilities of staff and managers. Policies did not clearly delineate how managers should respond to workplace bullying. CONCLUSIONS: These differences can allow management variation, not sanctioned by policy. Unclear policy language can also offer insufficient guidance to managers, resulting in differential enforcement of policies