Psychological violence in the workplace: Possibilities of ADR in this context

Abstract

Psychological violence is a broad term used to describe a variety of behaviours. In the workplace context, this type of abuse is frequently classified as bullying, harassment, and discrimination. These are actions that tend to be repetitive in nature and cause a negative impact, not only on the victim's physical and mental health but also on the organization in general. Even though there are significant changes in the way companies are managing and preventing those conflicts, it is still often present in the workplace context. Considering that, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has been gaining the attention of organizations because of its efficiency in solving conflicts, as it is not as costly and time-demanding as the traditional court system. However, some challenges involve implementing those methods in the workplace context, such as the lack of awareness and the number of cases of psychological violence not being reported. Therefore, an online questionnaire was undertaken in order to collect data to support this exploratory research, which aims to comprehend aspects involving psychological violence in the workplace and the possibilities of ADR in this context. This research was undertaken supported by quantitative methods and was written based on Interpretivism philosophy and deductive approach. The results demonstrate that psychological violence is consistently present in the workplace environment, negatively impacting employers and employees, so it is noticeable the importance of adopting preventive measures. Even though it is possible to find some objections in relation to its implementation, by adopting a critical overview, ADR can bring positive outcomes for disputes in this context.