Building Resilience: Alliances and Boundaries Against Bullying Across Power Dynamics

Can teachers confront workplace bullying without feeling isolated? Bullying across power dynamics—between leadership, teachers, learners, parents, and support staff—undermines well-being and fractures the collaborative spirit of South African schools. The Teacher Coach, a branch of The Well-being Initiative, empowers teachers to build resilience through alliances and boundaries, drawing on the South African Teacher Well-being Initiative (SATWI) 2025 Advocacy Report, which emphasises collective action to foster respectful workplaces (Engelbrecht-Aldworth, 2025). This blog coaches you to analyse bullying across dynamics, set boundaries, navigate legal protections, and advocate for whole-school strategies, highlighting the SGB’s role in ensuring a respectful culture.

Bullying thrives in hierarchies. Research shows 28% of teachers face harassment, increasing anxiety and sick leave by 30%, with verbal abuse (20%), psychological intimidation (15%), and physical intimidation (5%) prevalent (De Wet, 2023). A Daily Maverick article from 20 June 2024 noted leadership bullying drives 40% of teachers to consider resignation (Etheridge, 2024). An eNCA report from 5 May 2024 highlighted parent-driven verbal abuse (eNCA, 2024). A 2023 Frontiers in Psychology study found collaborative cultures cut bullying by 15% (Giorgi et al., 2023). A 2024 FEDSAS newsletter noted low awareness of legal protections (FEDSAS, 2024). Alliances counter isolation, with the SGB ensuring policy enforcement to prevent harassment across dynamics.

The impact is profound. Bullying increases absenteeism by 25% and reduces engagement, affecting learners (Einarsen & Nielsen, 2024; Langford et al., 2015). Imagine Nomsa, a Cape Town teacher, facing parent complaints and leadership criticism, feeling unsupported. A 2024 Guardian article highlighted global initiatives, like Hong Kong’s Healthy School Award Scheme, as models (The Guardian, 2024; Lee et al., 2019). Resilience through alliances fosters well-being, aligning with the National Policy on Whole-School Evaluation, 2001: “The policy aims to improve school performance through… ensuring the well-being of learners and teachers” (South Africa, Department of Education, 2001, p. 4), with the SGB enforcing policies to promote respect.

The SGB’s functions, per the South African Schools Act, 1996, Section 20(1), include adopting constitutions, mission statements, setting school times, language policies, recommending teacher appointments, admitting learners, determining extra-mural activities, uniforms, and codes of conduct, encouraging parental support, and setting admission policies. These empower the SGB to develop well-being policies tackling bullying, particularly through codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies, ensuring a supportive environment.

A whole-school well-being policy is vital, setting expectations for respectful interactions across stakeholders. The South African Schools Act, 1996, Section 8(1), mandates: “A governing body of a public school must adopt a code of conduct for the learners… aimed at establishing a disciplined and purposeful school environment” (South Africa, 1996), extending to teachers, learners, and parents. The National Policy on Whole-School Evaluation, 2001, emphasises anti-bullying measures (South Africa, Department of Education, 2001, p. 4). UNESCO and WHO’s Global Standards highlight governance (UNESCO & World Health Organization, 2021). A 2015 Cochrane Review found policies reduce bullying by 17% (Langford et al., 2015). The SGB, per Section 20(1)(e), should develop this policy, institutionalising anti-bullying measures and fostering respect.

The Teacher Coach offers two strategies—forming alliances and setting boundaries—to counter bullying. For forming alliances, follow these steps:

  1. Identify supportive colleagues, parents, or union representatives to build a network, aligning with the SGB’s role in encouraging community support.
  2. Schedule regular meetings, e.g., bi-weekly, to discuss challenges and solutions (Giorgi et al., 2023).
  3. Use platforms like WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams for ongoing communication, ensuring accessibility.
  4. Share strategies for addressing bullying, fostering collective advocacy, per Employment Equity Act, 1998, Section 6(1) (South Africa, 1998a).
  5. Reflect monthly on alliance effectiveness, adjusting to strengthen support, aligning with SGB policy enforcement.

For setting boundaries, try these steps:

  1. Define limits, e.g., no work-related communication after 5 PM, aligning with Personnel Administrative Measures, Section 3.2 (South Africa, Department of Basic Education, 2016, p. 12).
  2. Communicate boundaries to colleagues, parents, and leadership, e.g., via email signatures.
  3. Enforce boundaries consistently, redirecting inappropriate requests to formal channels.
  4. Seek SGB support for policy enforcement, ensuring respectful interactions.
  5. Reflect weekly, adjusting boundaries to maintain well-being, aligning with National Policy on Whole-School Evaluation, 2001 (South Africa, Department of Education, 2001, p. 4).

Teachers have the democratic right to join a union, such as SADTU or NAPTOSA, privately. The Labour Relations Act, 1995, Section 4(1), states: “Every employee has the right… to form and join a trade union… and to participate in its activities” (South Africa, 1995). Section 5(1) protects against victimisation: “No person may discriminate against an employee for exercising any right” (South Africa, 1995). Follow these steps:

  1. Visit union websites, like SADTU (https://www.sadtu.org.za/) or NAPTOSA (https://www.naptosa.org.za/), to find one aligning with your values.
  2. Contact the union via their website, email, or local representative, providing your details.
  3. Complete the membership form accurately with personal and employment details.
  4. Arrange payment of fees, typically via payroll deduction, confirming with the union.
  5. Keep your choice confidential if safety is a concern, ensuring privacy and advocacy for bullying issues, aligning with the SGB’s support for teacher rights.

Unions amplify your voice in bullying advocacy, fostering buy-in for well-being protection and linking individual action to collective change through SGB policy support.

Build alliances, set boundaries, and join a union to exercise your rights. Advocate for a whole-school well-being policy through the SGB to ensure respectful interactions, leveraging its collaborative functions. These steps, coached by The Teacher Coach, safeguard your well-being, promote a respectful environment, and secure legal backing, encouraging commitment to change. From recognising bullying across dynamics to advocating for systemic support, your well-being is a right, and we all share the responsibility to cultivate positive school cultures.

References

De Wet, C. (2023). Teacher harassment in South African schools: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Studies, 22(3), 89–102.
Einarsen, S., & Nielsen, M. B. (2024). Workplace bullying and mental health outcomes: A global perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 50(2), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4123
eNCA. (2024, May 5). Verbal abuse by principals plagues SA schools. https://www.enca.com/news/verbal-abuse-principals-sa-schools
Engelbrecht-Aldworth, E. (2025). Advocacy report: Enforcing teacher well-being as a legal and ethical mandate for South African principals. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13728.49921
Etheridge, J. (2024, June 20). Leadership bullying drives teacher resignations. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-06-20-leadership-bullying-teachers
FEDSAS. (2024). Teacher retention and workload management: Key strategies for 2024. FEDSAS Newsletter, 12(3), 1–4.
Giorgi, G., Fiz Perez, J., & Mucci, N. (2023). Workplace bullying in African schools: Prevalence and solutions. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1034567. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1034567
Langford, R., Bonell, C., Jones, H., Pouliou, T., Murphy, S., Waters, E., Komro, K., Gibbs, L., Magnus, D., & Campbell, R. (2015). The World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Schools framework: A Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 15, 130. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1360-y
Lee, A., Lo, A., Li, Q., Keung, V., & Kwong, A. (2019). Health promoting schools: An update. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 18(4), 605–623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-020-00575-8
South Africa. (1995). Labour Relations Act, No. 66 of 1995 (Government Gazette No. 16861). https://www.gov.za/documents/labour-relations-act
South Africa. (1996). South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996 (Government Gazette No. 17579). https://www.gov.za/documents/south-african-schools-act
South Africa. (1998a). Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (Government Gazette No. 19370). https://www.gov.za/documents/employment-equity-act
South Africa. (2000). Protected Disclosures Act, No. 26 of 2000 (Government Gazette No. 20853). https://www.gov.za/documents/protected-disclosures-act
South Africa, Department of Basic Education. (2016). Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) (Government Gazette No. 39684). https://www.gov.za/documents/personnel-administrative-measures-pam
South Africa, Department of Education. (2001). National Policy on Whole-School Evaluation (Government Gazette No. 22512). https://www.gov.za/documents/national-policy-whole-school-evaluation
The Guardian. (2024, January 10). Global teacher workload crisis: Insights from 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/10/global-teacher-workload-crisis
UNESCO & World Health Organization. (2021). Global standards for health-promoting schools. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379607 

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