Workplace harassment and its impact on staff performance: a case study of a South African higher education institution

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Keywords:

Abuse, behavior, discrimination, employee satisfaction, harassment, human resources, human resource management, HR, motivation, prejudice, promotion, organisation performance, tertiary education, South Africa

Abstract

Workplace harassment is a global phenomenon affecting the morale of employees negatively. A common misconception is that harassment is simply sexual in nature. While it is prominent, harassment includes unfair misuse of power or position generally by a senior member of staff who may display belittling or threatening behaviour towards individual workers or groups of workers. The reality is that harassment is directly responsible for workplace hostility and discord. It must be acknowledged that regardless of position, gender, religion, disability, race or sexual preference, every individual has the right to be free of abusive behaviour. Consequently, if workers are not accorded dignity, harassment can constitute unfair discrimination and therefore, a violation of human rights. While workplace harassment is a perennial problem, it is only since the mid-1980s that it has become a significant focus of public concern. This study investigates the impact of harassment on employees at a South African Higher Education Institute. The results of the study should assist management in recognising the need to urgently establish and implement procedures to deal with the negative impact of harassment in the workplace. Two hundred employees of varying academic levels within the institute were used to respond to a comprehensive questionnaire involving interpersonal relationships at the workplace. An analysis of the responses clearly confirms the existence of harassment as well as the negative impact thereof. The findings support the need to develop a workplace environment that is committed to fostering transparency, equality and respect for human dignity. Furthermore, the findings clearly demonstrate that the impact of harassment is detrimental to both the employee as well as the institution if changes are not implemented.

To cite: Ngwane, K.S. (2018). Workplace harassment and its impact on staff performance: a case study of a South African higher education institution. Journal of Management & Administration (2018/2), 163–189. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-128dd54803

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Published

2018-12-01

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Section

Research Articles