Theorizing the Workplace Bullying–Workplace Dignity Link: Evidence from Lesbians in Indian Workplaces

Though workplace bullying is consistently seen as a violation of workplace dignity, this link, to date, has not been explored and substantiated. Moreover, while the field of workplace bullying increasingly recognizes its entwinement with identity-based harassment, the social category of sexual orientation has received limited attention. Further, Indian academic literature, so far, has not systematically researched lesbians, gays and bisexuals at work. Studying lesbians in Indian workplaces through phenomenological case studies subjected to ideographic within-case analyses and nomothetic cross-case analysis, this chapter addresses the three aforementioned gaps by speaking to the interface between workplace bullying and sexual identity through the lens of workplace dignity. Facing internal interpersonal bullying in real and cyber forms due to the hegemony of heteronormativity in workplaces which espoused anti-homosexuality sentiments, participants experienced relational/subjective indignity ‘in work’ and objectivity indignity ‘at work’ though inherent dignity remained intact. Authenticity, however, was a contentious and complex issue. Apart from furthering knowledge vis-a-vis the three aforementioned gaps, the chapter makes a pioneering contribution by propounding a theoretical model linking workplace bullying and workplace dignity, underscoring why dignity serves as the ideal foundational meta-frame for the field of workplace bullying going forwards and highlighting how attention to both relational/subjective and objective dignity makes workplace bullying intervention endeavours more holistic, nuanced, accurate and responsible and, therefore, potentially more effective.