Cyberbullying of professors: what measures are in place in universities and what solutions are proposed by victims?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cyberbullying in the workplace is a growing phenomenon and universities are no exceptions. As teachers and researchers, university professors interact online with a diversity of people, placing them in a vulnerable position towards cyberbullying. Despite this situation, measures in universities are not well known and studies on the subject are scarce. The present article tackles this issue in presenting the results of a mixed-method research that aimed to analyze (1) measures in place associated with cyberbullying in universities and (2) solutions proposed by professors. To collect quantitative and qualitative data, a questionnaire (n = 202) was sent online and interviews (n = 9) were conducted with professors from two universities in Quebec, Canada. Besides confirming that measures in place associated with cyberbullying are largely unknown by professors, the results of the research show that they are often insufficient to manage the complexity and the diversity of professors’ cyberbullying incidents. To address this complexity, answers given by professors on possible solutions to prevent cyberbullying, manage incident and support victims were inductively analyzed. Solutions emanating from this analysis are presented such as empowerment, policy implementation and, clarity and independence of the reporting process. Implications of these solutions for future research and for universities are also discussed.