Don't Do What I Do - Just Bloody Well Do What I Say! The Workplace Bullying Experiences of Australian Academics

Workplace bullying is a silent epidemic permeating our workplaces. Bullying is a broad, typically imprecisely used term encompassing a wide variety of phenomena - but all definitions contain the element of power in one form or another. Workplace bullying has been attributed to a combination of business economic rationalism, downsizing, conflictual work environments and limited worker participation in management decisions. This paper explores the types of bullying experienced by general and academic staff in four Australian universities. By employing a schoolyard bullying analogy it is possible to categorise their experiences into: gatekeeper bullying; sandpit bullying; toilet bullying; and king bullying. Moreover, it appears that collegiality is protecting the university bully - victims are reluctant to pursue the bullying issue fearing ridicule or isolation by colleagues.