Specialist Traumatologist, Dr Barbara Louw, began her information-packed EduWeb seminar presentation on 11th September 2020, on bullying and cyberbullying by saying, When it comes to hackers on the Dark Web, they have a field day – they love South Africa. We are a very trusting people and narrative people, and so we easily share information that is rather sensitive. According to an article published on 3rd June in Business Insider SA, South Africans suffered 577 instances of cyberbullying last year, putting us in third place, globally.
We recommend you request a rebroadcast of this valuable Eduweek seminar on bullying and cyberbullying if you missed out.
“South Africans suffered 577 instances of cyberbullying last year, putting us in third place, globally” Dr. Barbara Louw
“Thank you for the opportunity to present the workshop during the EAPA-SA Eduweek. This is a significant initiative from EAPA-SA’s management team. Success stories are always about team efforts. It is remarkable how you salvaged the cancellation of the physical conference by presenting the weekly presentations online.” Dr. Barbara Louw
Highlights of the Seminar
In an interactive poll during the seminar, 28% of attendees confirmed that they had experienced Cyberbullying at work.
In the very interesting and interactive Q&A session after the presentation, EAPA-SA President Elect, Radhi Vandayar, put this question to Dr Louw resulting in a roundtable discussion. “It is interesting to see that some of the things you classify as bullying could be seen as normal behaviour, like joking around, not replying to an email or forgetting to do something. How do we assess the problem early before the situation gets too aggressive and then deal with it?”
“A lot of what I am saying about bullying can also be defined as abuse. I am talking about abusive behaviour.” Dr. Barbara Louw
Dr Louw replied, “Absolutely, and if I may add to that, yes, you get narcissists in the workplace and you also get colleagues with a victim mindset. No matter what you say they will come back to, “Ag shame, but what about me?”
“One of the most important takeouts I would like you to come away with is that you should be looking for patterns of behaviour.” Dr. Barbara Louw
Join Us for the Next Seminar
The interactive question and answer sessions of the EduWeb seminar are proving to bring tremendous insights, making the topic even more relevant precisely where participants find themselves at work and as professionals and practitioners caring for employee wellbeing in the workplace. This is a great forum for members to be able to put their questions to a specialist and their peers and we encourage member questions and group interaction.
“I trust that the members of EAPA-SA will see the value of the Eduweek as a sign of the leadership of this professional body. Please utilise every opportunity they offer to you for support and continuous professional equipment.” Barbara Louw