This Is Why They Leave You: Workplace Bullying and Insight to Junior Faculty Departure (Published)
Workplace bullying may be an understudied area in higher education, yet the most vulnerable population, junior faculty members, receive even less attention. Based on a data collection in late 2016/early 2017, this data analysis of 257 graduate students and junior faculty from nine countries considered the question, what is the frequency of workplace bullying for junior faculty and graduate students? A second research question was, does workplace bullying influence career decisions for junior faculty and graduate students. Findings showed that close to 63% of respondents faced workplace bullying. Many of their comments revealed shock and dismay that administration turned a blind eye to bullying behaviors. Further, close to 80% of the respondents stated that the organization did not take action when learning about bullying, and 32% considered leaving the higher education sector. For further consideration, this study included the open-ended comments of junior faculty as they reflected on workplace bullying and how it had an impact on their career trajectory.
Keywords: Higher Education, Workplace bullying, junior faculty