Social Support for Managers Who Are Bullied Upwards

Despite the recent increase in focus on workplace bullying, research into the phenomenon referred to as ‘upwards bullying’ (i.e. managers who are bullied by their staff) has received modest attention. This paper presents the results from two studies, an interview and questionnaire study, into upwards bullying. In particular, the results in relation to the social support managers who had been upwards bullied received from senior management, colleagues and family and friends will be presented. It was expected that managers would be reluctant to seek support due to concern about how it could impact on their organisational standing. The findings of the interview study suggest that managers did seek support although they were disappointed with the amount of support available for them from senior management and organisational representatives. Alternatively, support from colleagues and family and friends was found to be very important. The results of the questionnaire study indicated that managers who experienced upwards bullying perceived they received less support from senior management and colleagues, than those who had not experienced upwards bullying. These results may either reflect the impact of their bullying experience or may explain, in part, why they were bullied.