Detroit, MI (August 3, 2006) – According to research by Wayne State University psychologist Loraleigh Keashly, “bullying” in the workplace can be substantially reduced by programs that encourage employees to talk openly with management.

She notes that underlying problems in an organizational culture, such as perceptions of favoritism and feelings of “not being heard” by management contribute to day-to-day forms of aggression in the workplace—verbal aggression, psychological aggression and emotional abuse.

“A team of outside experts can’t just go into an office and tell a company how to reduce bullying. They need to work with organizational members to develop relevant, context-specific strategies” notes Keashly, a social-organizational psychologist and associate professor of communication at Wayne State University.

In a four-year study of 11 healthcare and benefits facilities in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for which Keashly was part of a team of researchers and organizational members, bullying and other aggressive behaviors were reduced through a series of actions that empowered employees and gave them venues to address their frustrations. In one site, the implementation of representative employee “action teams” and an analysis of incidents of disrespectful behavior led to the creation of “Flake Off Fridays,” in which the facility’s assistant director invited a group of randomly selected employees to meet and talk with him about questions and concerns on a weekly basis. The result was a decrease in bullying and an increase in productivity.

“Not only was the intervention they designed having an impact,” says Keashly, “but the way they were operating was catching on with other people throughout the facility.”

Keashly adds that her Wayne State University students benefit from analyzing such real-life scenarios.

“Workplace aggression and hostility are not uncommon in workplaces. This project highlights the need for more effective strategies in managing differences and addressing inappropriate behavior. Discussing and examining this project with our Wayne State students helps provide them with real life testing of our theories and insights on strategies which they can utilize to help other workplaces.”

Keashly is currently Academic Director, M.A. in Dispute Resolution in the Dept. of Communication, College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts. Her findings were recently highlighted in an article entitled, “Banishing Bullying,” in the July/August 2006 issue of the Monitor on Psychology published by the American Psychological Association.