Moral harassment at work: a study of practices for the prevention and fighting of the phenomenon in companies in the north of Paraná

Abstract

Moral Harassment, besides being a great challenge for the field of people management, is considered a serious problem within organizations, because it indicates, in most cases, the structural failures resulting from deliberate action or omission from the responsible managers. The discussion of the matter is of great importance, since it allows for stimulating debate about the causes of the incidence of moral harassment in the workplace as well as possible strategies to prevent the problem. Accordingly, this study aimed to conduct a survey of companies operating in the north of Paraná, in order to have a parameter of how they are experiencing moral harassment and how they are trying to fight it. To examine the raised issues, we opted for a non-probabilistic intentional sample, composed of five major companies that received awards in recent years directed to their people management policies. This criterion was relevant as companies sought to possess Human Resources policies that have proven effective along with explicit concern for the quality of life of employees and their working environment. The results showed that these organizations have a range of policies that address the relationships among employees in the workplace and these are considered strong instruments for the prevention of moral harassment. However, they do not have specific policies to fight the discussed phenomenon.