12
HR
West
®
Harassment
A
s children, nearly all of us witnessed
bullying on the playground. From
physical shoving to name calling,
bullying has existed in schools and
neighborhoods for centuries. More recently, this
abusive behavior has spread into cyberspace,
with kids sending each other mean-spirited text
messages, emails and social media posts.
Yet many people don’t realize that bullying is a
problem that extends into the workplace. Sadly,
these same dynamics are acted out by adults, with
supervisors mistreating employees and employees
abusing co-workers in both overt and covert
ways. As a result, nearly 3 in 10 employees have
suffered abusive conduct at work, while another 2
in 10 employees have witnessed bullying behavior,
according to a 2014 survey by the Workplace
Bullying Institute.
While bullying is pervasive in the workplace,
it often isn’t addressed. In fact, nearly three-
quarters of employers deny, discount, encourage,
rationalize or even defend this type of behavior,
according to the same survey. And many don’t
realize their responsibility for cyber-bullying
between co-workers.
The consequences of ignoring this behavior can
be devastating. If allowed to fester, bullying can
lead to lost productivity and decreased revenue
for the company. It can fuel low employee
morale, causing high employee turnover while
damaging a company’s reputation. In the worst
scenarios, it can produce expensive legal claims
that cost a company millions of dollars. Consider
the recent settlement with a large west coast
trucking company. The complaint, which included
allegations of racial and gay slurs, Nazi graffiti, and
repeated on-the-job harassment, ended up costing
the company a whopping $2.4 million.
Tackling workplace bullying is a lot like weeding
one’s garden. You can deal with the problem when
it’s small and manageable. Or you can ignore it and
watch it take over; suffocating what was once a
vibrant workplace.
So what can a company do to create a bully-free
workplace? Here are five tips:
#1
Be clear to define bullying
The first step to prevent bullying is to recognize
it when it occurs. Workplace bullying, as defined
by the Workplace Bullying Institute, is repeated
mistreatment and a form of abusive conduct that’s
threatening, humiliating, or intimidating behavior,
interferes with work getting done, or is verbally
abusive. Usually viewed as abusive behavior that
isn’t motivated by race, sex or religion, bullying
is four times as common as on-the-job sexual
harassment or racial discrimination.
As with playground bullying, workplace bullying
can be either physically or mentally abusive. Being
shouted at, sworn at, or humiliated in front of
others are all forms of bullying. So, too, is being
unfairly criticized or blamed. Workplace bullying
can take the form of social exclusion or even the
silent treatment. It can also involve being set up for
failure, by excessive monitoring, for example, or by
being given unrealistic deadlines.
To be considered bullying, the behavior doesn’t
have to take place within the four walls of the
company. Nor must it occur during work hours.
#2
Obtain buy-in
at the top levels
Once you’re clear as to what constitutes bullying,
it’s critical to educate your CEO and company
leadership as to why they should care. While
there’s no federal law that prohibits bullying, if left
unaddressed bullying behavior often escalates.
Indeed, according to a study by
Harvard Business
Review
, when bullying appears to be rewarded,
non-bullies are encouraged to adopt the same
abusive behavior, leading to a trickle-down effect
throughout the organization. As it intensifies,
bullying often borders on hostile behavior and even
sexual, racial or religious discrimination, all of which
are prohibited by law and can cost a company
millions of dollars in legal claims.
Even if a claim is never filed, employees who are
bullied end up feeling fearful and stressed, resulting
in increased absenteeism, low employee morale,
and high turnover. In a nutshell, employees who
are bullied aren’t their best selves at work. And
when they’re not their best selves, they can cause
both the company’s productivity and its bottom
line to plummet. Bullying threatens your ability to
FIVE STEPS
TO CREATING
A
WORKPLACE
By Jodi Slavik
Bully-Free
