Bullying in the California community college system and the human resources response: The case for comity, courtesy, and civility

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to consider the lived experience of human resources (HR) professionals grappling with the phenomenon of workplace bullying in the California community college system, gain insight into their understanding of the perceived loss of legitimacy of the HR function as the result of an inability to effectively manage the problem, and consider what, if anything, they believe might help to ameliorate workplace bullying and restore legitimacy to the HR function in the process.;Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the following: social learning theory, emotional intelligence, organizational culture, and organizational leadership.;Methodology. Qualitative, semistructured elite interviews were the basis for this phenomenological analysis in which eight chief human resources officers were interviewed to obtain an understanding of their perceptions of the lived experience of workplace bullying.;Findings. This phenomenological research found that the California community college HR professionals perceived themselves all too often to be part of a work environment where workplace bullying is a significant issue, where the absence of polices and standards of ethical behavior exacerbate the phenomenon, and where their efforts to ameliorate the problem have had minimal impact or may be subject to reprisals. Study participants also expressed concern that the perception of HR is that it does not have the ability to resolve workplace bullying complaints. Finally, the study participants also expressed the belief that the success or failure of any such plan begins and ends with the organization's leader and that an empowered HR function will be key.;Conclusions and Recommendations. The participants perceived workplace bullying to be a significant yet solvable problem in the California community college system. While the current perception is that HR has lost legitimacy because of this problem, legitimacy may be restored by creating and delivering plans that include policies and procedures specifically about workplace bullying, ethical standards of behavior, consequences for deviant behavior, employee training and development, and intervention mechanisms.