Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512115
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 NOVEMBER 2023 The Planning and Priorities Co-ordination Division (PPCD) within the Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands (MEFL) has issued a request for quotations MEFL/PPCD/70/2023 for the Supply, Installation and Maintenance of a Dual, Wall Mounted Fast EV Charging Point / Station including Software. More information can be found on: https://fondi.eu/ announcements/ A nationwide study by Malta's only anti-bullying organisation has found 64% of participants in a survey of over 2,400 respondents, reporting some form of bullying currently within their workplace. The study, Bullying and Ostra- cism at the Workplace in Malta, carried out by bBrave, also found 56% of participants witnessing bullying in their workplace, while 40% said they had been bullied at their workplace within the past year. Of these participants, 20% had experienced bullying daily, and 27% on a weekly basis. In the vast majority, 66% of those who experienced bullying said the person responsible for their bullying was at a senior lev- el and that in 88% of cases, had done so in the presence of others. "Malta is no exception for work- place bullying and ostracism," bBrave says in its report. "This study is imperative to assess the current situation locally, especial- ly due to the significantly diverse workforce and that over the years Malta has witnessed a rising num- ber of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion present in the country." Bullying at the workplace can take many forms, and persons at the workplace act in various ways to carry out bullying. This in- cludes excessive criticism, intim- idation, aggression and removal of responsibility, amongst others. Another hurtful behaviour at the workplace is that of social ostra- cism and exclusion. Bbrave said bullying can be con- sidered as an active form of social rejection, where the individual receives negative attention, while ostracism is a passive form of so- cial rejection where the individu- al does not receive any attention. "The link between workplace bullying and social exclusion has been well documented abroad. Ostracism and bullying at the workplace cause immediate and long-term psychological injury to the recipient." In this first detailed study for the Maltese islands, psycholog- ical and emotional bullying was reported as the most common form of bullying experienced by participants, followed by verbal and exclusionary bullying. Other forms of bullying were isolation, humiliation, teasing, shouting, and other threats on career, duties, skills, work trans- fers, and gaslighting or psycho- logical manipulation. "Participants felt that the type of bullying changes depending on the environment, where isola- tion and work misallocation may increase in online environments but picking on people for jokes may decrease," bBrave said. And while 69% of partici- pants who experienced bullying said they believed it was due to work-related reasons, 22% cited socio-economic background and 15% body appearance. In focus groups, reasons for bullying were also listed as being down to 'lack of self-confidence' or simply be- ing 'different from the norm', be- ing 'perceived as less productive and efficient', as well as for being female, gay, young or old, disa- bled, or a foreigner, as well as due to political beliefs. And as expected, 73% of partic- ipants who experienced bullying reported to have increased stress, 58% mental health repercussions and 9% even engaged in self- harm or suicidal thinking. A fur- ther 39% reported physical health repercussions. The result is that 45% of those who experienced bullying re- ported being less engaged at the workplace and 37% stated they have resigned or plan to resign. The economic impacts also in- clude presenteeism – continued work presence but at lower effi- ciency levels – absenteeism, high employee turnover, and damaged reputation of the organisation. "The extent of workplace bul- lying in Malta necessitates the existence of anti-bullying legis- lation, with a clear definition of what constitutes bullying behav- iour and penalties which hold the same weight as a criminal of- fence," bBrave said. "The anti-bul- lying legislation should also oblige every workplace to have anti-bul- lying policies in place, outlining mandatory affairs such as training and well-being practices." bBrave also called for a robust and nation-wide workplace bul- lying awareness that targets not just organisations but also soci- ety at large. "This would include a clear definition of bullying, how to identify and recognise nega- tive behaviours, how to act such as reporting and what support is available. The impact and conse- quences of bullying should also be made clear." Bbrave also said a zero-toler- ance anti-bullying and well-being policy at workplaces had to set out acceptable and unacceptable behaviour at work, as well as a grievance mechanism and appro- priate complaint procedure. Widespread bullying at work carries high emotional and economic cost MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt First ever nationwide study of bullying at workplace finds 40% of over 2,400 respondents claiming to have been bullied at their workplace within the past year