Governing the Risks of Cyber Bullying in the Workplace During the Era of Covid-19

With the advancement of ICT, cyberbullying has become more common than ever before, particularly in modern workplaces. With the requirement of working from home during the pandemic, cyberbullying within the workplace has skyrocketed within the past year. Cyberbullying can be classified as a traditional crime that has transcended to cyberspace as a result of technological advancements and the proliferation of numerous social media platforms. Despite widespread public concern about such crime in Malaysia, the legislative response to this crime is still somewhat slow due to the gaps in the current legislation governing cyberbullying. The legal landscape governing cyberbullying is still insufficient, due to the current legal framework being too general, making investigation and prosecution of the crime difficult. Cyberbullying can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, psychological problems, major physical and mental health problems, and even suicide. The purpose of this article is to investigate the notions of cyber bullying harassment, the risks associated with such crimes, and the legal and management mechanisms for dealing with such crimes. This research makes use of a doctrinal content analysis as well as secondary data from the law, academic journals, books, and online sources. According to the authors, unequal power relations in the workplace, anonymity, and cross-border connectedness are some of the rationales for cyberbullying, which can be expressed in a variety of ways with negative consequences for employers and employees alike. The inadequacy of the present traditional and computer-specific legislation in dealing with such crime necessitates the management of such crime

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience describes the cyber safety issues emerging from a range of technology trends, how different populations are using technologies and the risks they face, and how we can effectively respond to each group’s unique cyber safety needs. Written by the University of Western Sydney for Telstra Corporation Ltd, the report advocates for continuing to move cyber safety from a ‘risk and protection’ framework to one that focuses on building digital resilience, as well as fostering trust and confidence in the online environment. To do this we need to: Address the needs of populations often neglected by current policies and programs – including adults, seniors, parents, and small to medium enterprises Continue to build the digital literacy skills of all populations, because digital literacy strongly influences users’ ability to engage safely online – this is best achieved by a hands-on learning approach Keep risk in perspective – the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand Broaden the focus from awareness-raising to long-term behaviour change. As digital technologies become further integrated into the everyday lives of Australians, users are potentially exposed to greater risks. However, the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand. The challenge, therefore, is to support users to minimise the risks without limiting their digital participation and their capacity to derive the full benefits of connectivity. If Australians are to benefit as either consumers or providers of online services and products in the e-commerce environment, consumer safety and trust need to be improved. Cyber safety needs to be considered against a transforming backdrop of technology trends, products and practices. While the rise of social media has tended to dominate recent debate and developments in cyber safety, particularly in relation to young people, a range of other trends is also shaping how users engage online, the risks they potentially face in the new media landscape, and the strategies used to address them. These trends include the rise of user generated content and content sharing platforms; the uptake of mobile technologies and, in particular, the adoption of smartphones; cloud computing; platform integration and single sign-on mechanisms; and the rise of GPS and location based services

Cyberbullying at work: Understanding the influence of technology

We exist at a time when technology has revolutionised the way people work. It is now just as easy to communicate electronically with colleagues thousands of miles away as it is with a coworker in the same building. While there are many advantages of information and communication technologies (ICTs), workplace cyberbullying channeled through ICTs illustrates the potential drawbacks of such technologies. The current chapter examines the limited, yet developing research on workplace cyberbullying. First, we discuss the criteria used to define workplace cyberbullying and the behaviours that encompass it. Second, we present current empirical findings, including research on the actors involved in the process and the antecedents, prevalence and impact of workplace cyberbullying. Finally, we discuss theoretical perspectives on why workplace cyberbullying occurs, highlight the emerging focus on the work context and present some suggestions for future research in this area

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Fight (Cyber)Bullying for Human Well-being: The BullyBuster Project

Bullying and cyberbullying are phenomena which, due to their growing diffusion, have become a real social emergency. In this context, artificial intelligence can be a powerful weapon to identify episodes of violence and fight bullying both in the virtual and in the real world. Through machine learning, it is possible to detect the language patterns used by bullies and their victims and develop rules to detect cyberbullying content automatically. The BullyBuster project merges the know-how of four interdisciplinary research groups to develop a framework useful for maintaining psycho-physical well-being in educational contexts

The Dark Side Of The Ivory Tower: Cyberbullying Of University Faculty And Teaching Personnel

This paper discusses findings from an exploratory study on the nature, extent, and impact of cyberbullying experienced by 121 faculty members at one Canadian university. We situate cyberbullying in university on a continuum between cyberbullying in K-12 education and cyberbullying in the workplace and also take into account the power dynamics that characterize the post-secondary context. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of online survey data revealed that 17% of respondents had experienced cyberbullying either by students (12%) or by colleagues (9%) in the last 12 months. Gender differences were apparent plus racial minority status also appeared to render faculty members more vulnerable to cyberbullying. These findings suggest a rights-based lens could be used to analyze and respond to the vulnerabilities of women and other marginalized faculty in cyberbullying situations. This study contributes to the dearth of research on cyberbullying at the post-secondary level and raises the need to consider factors of difference, such as gender and race, in policy development and practice.Cet article discute des résultats d’une étude exploratoire sur la nature, l’étendue et l’impact de la cyberintimidation qu’ont connu 121 membres du personnel enseignant d’une université canadienne. Nous situons la cyberintimidation à l’université sur un continuum entre la cyberintimidation dans les milieux K-12 et celle dans les milieux de travail, tout en tenant compte de la dynamique des pouvoirs qui caractérise le contexte postsecondaire. Des analyses quantitatives et qualitatives de données découlant d’une enquête en ligne ont révélé que, dans les 12 mois qui venaient de s’écouler, 17% des répondants avaient connu la cyberintimidation, soit de la part d’étudiants (12%), soit de la part de collègues (9%). Des écarts selon le sexe se sont révélés et le statut de minorité raciale semblait rendre les membres du personnel enseignant plus vulnérables à la cyberintimidation. Ces résultats suggèrent que dans les situations de cyberintimidation, on pourrait adopter une perspective reposant sur les droits pour d’abord analyser les vulnérabilités des femmes et d’autres membres du personnel enseignant qui sont marginalisés, et ensuite y réagir. Cette étude participe à combler le vide dans la recherche portant sur la cyberintimidation au niveau postsecondaire et soulève le besoin de tenir compte de facteurs de différenciation, tels le sexe et la race, dans le développement de politiques et la mise en pratique de celles-ci.

Office Bullying in the Philippines and the Need for Public Policy

There is an urgent need to solve the problem of workplace bullying in both private and government sectors. Bullying at work creates serious negative consequences to the victims and the organization affecting their productivity. The magnitude of the problem necessitates state intervention to correct market and government failures. This policy paper studies office bullying and the need to legislate to realize efficient and effective allocation of government and private resources. It is guided by the Constitutional mandate that maintenance of peace, harmony, health and safety at work is an inherent duty of the State because of its inherent power to issue orders and command obedience to mitigate its effects. Using Cost Benefit Analysis, Institutional Analysis to policy making, and Rational-Decision making as tools for analysis, crafting and passing upon a statute is the most feasible means to address the problem of workplace bullying. The need to legislate a national policy on workplace bullying is necessary to mitigate its negative consequences both to employees and organizational productivity. Office bullying as a public issue also requires strict monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of similar or related laws may also address the problems cause by the same destructive behaviors but are inadequately explored in many researches

Persistent and multisite homophobic harassment during childhood and adolescence and its association with school difficulties in gay and bisexual men in Taiwan

Background: Homophobic harassment can compromise mental health of sexual minority youths. Objectives: This study examined the rates of persistent and multisite homophobic harassment and their associations with school difficulties during childhood and adolescence among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. Methods: Participants were recruited through advertisements on the Facebook, Bulletin Board Systems, and the home pages of health promotion and counseling centers for the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community. The experiences of traditional and cyber harassment based on gender role nonconformity and sexual orientation of 500 gay or bisexual men were examined. The associations of multisite and persistent harassment victimization with school difficulties were evaluated. Results: A total of 239 (47.8%) and 131 (26.2%) participants experienced persistent and multisite harassment victimization, respectively. Harassment victimization was significantly associated with low satisfaction with academic performance in any stage of study. Moreover, the participants who were harassed in senior high schools were more likely to miss classes or be truant than those who were not harassed. The victims of multisite harassment at senior high schools were more likely to miss classes or be truant than those of school-only harassment. Discussion: Prevention and intervention programs are warranted to reduce homophobic harassment in sexual minority youths

Social networking, social harassment and social policy

This paper reports on the misuse of social networking sites (SNS). It was based on a study of 226 students in UK, Sweden, Turkey and France and a panel survey of 1068 Australian adults. Although only a minority of people experienced social harassment and abuse, the distressing nature of the bad experiences suggested that social marketing was needed on several fronts -self-regulation, regulation, education and personal responsibility - in order to minimise these behaviours.<br /

Commissioning cost-effective services for promotion of mental health and wellbeing and prevention of mental ill-health

There is no health without mental health. Promoting and protecting the mental health of everyone is vital to improve the quality of people’s lives. It is important to promote good mental health because it has been associated with better physical health. This includes better heart health, an improvement in the ability of our immune systems to fight problems and slower progression of some problems. Having good mental health and wellbeing makes it easier to deal better with the different stresses (physical and mental) and problems in life. It also supports our ability to fulfill our ambitions and dreams, to be more confident, have good relationships with other people and cope with life’s ups and downs. It can help us to do well at school, in the workplace and in adjusting to retirement. Better mental health and wellbeing may also improve community spirit, bringing people together and reducing levels of violence, intolerance and crime..