Being excluded or worse than being bullied, be alert to "cold violence" in the workplace

Researchers from the Suntech School of Business at the University of British Columbia found that being excluded may be more harmful to people's physical and mental health than being harassed or other forms of bullying.

Researcher Sandra Robinson gave an example that "being excluded" refers to a situation where you should attend a meeting, but no one invited you. In addition, in this case, you may also feel excluded: everyone originally gathered together to talk in a lively manner, and when you walked over, they suddenly became quiet. There are many forms of being excluded, but usually you don't get the expected response from the other party.

Managers think it is acceptable to be excluded

In order to determine the impact of crowding behavior, Robinson and other researchers conducted a series of investigations on the reactions of managers and employees in many organizations. First, they asked 90 managers how they felt about exclusion and bullying at work. The result shows that they think that the exclusion behavior is more accepted by the society, causing less trouble in work and less harm than bullying.

Employees think it is harmful to be excluded

But researchers found that for employees, being excluded and being bullied are equally harmful. Research results show that being ignored at work is the most harmful to one's happiness. Exclusion is not only bad for employees' health, but also affects people's job performance and satisfaction. In the 1300 cases investigated by Robinson, those who have suffered exclusion are more likely to be dissatisfied with their work, resign more easily, be less involved in their work, and have more serious health problems.

People who are excluded are more likely to resign

Three years after the end of the study, researchers compared the results of the study and found that those who felt excluded were more likely to resign. Robinson pointed out, "Most people think it is better to be excluded at work than to be bullied. But people who have really experienced it will tell that it is not so, and so is our survey data. Being excluded at work is the most painful."

Exclusion is a form of bullying

Another public opinion survey on the workplace showed that nearly one third of Americans said they were excluded from work. Robinson said that exclusion is a form of bullying, although many people may not think so. She hopes that further research can prove that its influence may be more powerful than harassment.

Robins believes that managers have a long way to go before employees realize that exclusion at work is as bad as sexual harassment and verbal harassment. "We have tried to put an end to bullying in work and school, but the phenomenon of being excluded has not attracted enough attention." Robinson pointed out that "many people feel excluded and ignored in daily life, but because of all kinds of unfairness, they cannot speak out."