Exploring the roots of bullying in a "pristine" organisation

This article describes part of a small-scale research project looking into how bullying can arise when everything on the surface of an organisation appears pristine. The Human Resources (HR) team of an international company were working hard to create a healthy working environment for employees and ticking boxes to achieve the status of "a great place to work". However, cases of bullying were still arising. Two colleagues and I were invited to provide insights into the roots of the conflicts. As part of the investigation we carried out an observation day and this forms the focus of this article. Observations based on a reflexive research method and psychoanalytical theory, are described. The subjective findings illustrate how, when there is an excessive desire to care and protect employees, emotional life can become split off, denied, and repressed. Disconnections develop and the ability of employees to engage with reality and collaborate effectively can be undermined, potentially leading to shame, envy, and bullying.