Adaptive Mechanisms Employed by Subordinates Bullied by their Superiors in the Land Transportation & Franchising Regulatory Board National Capital Region Division

Abstract

Bullying no longer just exists in the playgrounds or in the academe. It has conquered the workplace, as well, with much more serious schemes and more crucial physical, mental, emotional, and social effect. Workplace bullying happens when the victim or target experience being subjected to negative acts at work over a period of time. It may take on several forms in different levels of frequency but only one thing is constant—bullying produces a victim. The victims, of course, have found their way to get through the bullying situation they have gotten themselves into. There are more than one ways to adapt to any bullying event. Some prefer to brush off the issue while others talk their way out of it. The organization featured in this study is the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board National Capital Region Division LTFRB-NCR Division. LTFRB is a very busy government organization attending to a multitude of transportation issues. Moreover, it has always been in the limelight and under the scrutiny of the local media for the different controversies surrounding its operations. Because of its dynamic environment, LTFRB may be susceptible to workplace bullying. This study aims to answer the question: What is the dominant adaptive mechanism of employees bullied by their superiors in LTFRB NCR Division? Its objective is: (1) To identify the common forms of workplace bullying in LTFRB; (2) To know the roles of communication in terms of pacifying and proliferating bullying; (3) To know the effects of bullying in terms of organizational performance and; (4) To know which of the four typologies of responses is most commonly used by employees in bullying event such as: exit, loyalty, voice, neglect. To answer the study’s objectives, the researcher used a survey questionnaire to gather data from the employees. Thirty-four rank and file employees from the six divisions of LTFRB NCR were asked to participate since they are the focus of this study. The researcher personally handed them the questionnaires which assess the following: (1) whether or not they experience bullying; (2) seeks to identify the adaptive mechanism they employ in a bullying event; (3) the effects of bullying to them; (4) and the effects of bullying to the organization at large. The study revealed that bullying is present in LTFRB though it is not rampant. On other issues, communication helps pacify the bullying events by the employees being open to discuss their condition to their co-workers and even to their superiors. The employees’ performance is not greatly affected by the bullying events, meaning, the bullying events do not affect the organization at large. The dominant type of adaptive mechanism employed by the LTFRB employees is NEGLECT. NEGLECT is both passive and destructive in nature. The bullying events in LTFRB are not yet widespread so the organization has not yet been noticeably affected.