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Defines bullying the workplace, discusses impact on individual, team and organization. Identifies specifi
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WORKPLACEBullyi
ngDr. Paul Marciano & Darlene Rasmussen
NJOD Annual Sharing Day 2012
1,000,000+ Google Results when
searching for “Workplace Bullying”
What does bullying mean to you?(Share examples)
DefiningBullying
A persistent pattern of behaviors that threaten, intimidate, degrade, undermine, embarrass, or humiliate another and have an adverse impact on another’s emotional
and psychological well-being.
Sample Behaviors• Yelling• Insulting remarks• Ignoring/Excluding• Inappropriate non-verbal behavior, e.g.,
staring, pointing• Spreading malicious rumors or gossip• Applying different policies, procedures, or
standards
Sample Behaviors• Imposing unreasonable or inappropriate
work demands• Unduly criticizing work performance • Making false accusations• Stealing credit for another’s work• Denying training & resources for success• Uninvited invasion of office space & scrutiny
of e-mails• Interfering with others’ work
Bullying is defined differently in different workplace environments
Bully
THE
Bullies…don’t know they bully.
Bullies often…
BulliesBehavior often based on
prior role models
BulliesAnd lack of education
about how to “motivate” employees and
deal with corrective action
Bullying is tolerated
within the organizational culture
Bullies are negatively reinforced
for their behavior
Did you know?
35% of the US workforce has e experienced bullying firsthand
of the US workforce has witnessed someone being bullied15%
50% 75 million people have experienced
or witnessed bullying
1 out of
3 women
have been
bullied
29%
of workers 55 years of
age or older have been
bullied
Bullying is 4x more prevalent than
sexual harassment
bullied employees report…
…more job stress, …less job commitment, …higher levels of anger
…greater anxiety
…than sexually harassed
employees.
Why is workplace bullyingmore frequent and
potentially damaging than sexual harassment?
THEVictim
The Consequences of
Workplace Bullying
Denial
“There is nothing (really) wrong.”
“It will be okay – the bully was nice to me today.”
“The bullying will stop.”
“I can handle this.”
Fear
“I’ll be ostracized.”
“No one will believe me.”
“I might get fired.”
“I will be humiliated.” “The bullying
will get worse.”
Psychological-Emotional
Consequences • Stress & Anxiety• Depression• Reduced Internal Locus of Control• Lower Self-Esteem & Self-Efficacy• Shame & Guilt• Helplessness• Anger & Aggression• Suicidal Behavior
Suicide
Bullying activates the sympathetic nervous system that releases hormones that interfere with
functioning of prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive
functioning.
Physical Health• Headaches• Nausea• Chest Pain• Cardiovascular Disease• Immune System Problems• High Blood Pressure• Diabetes• Weight Gain/Loss• Fatigue
Surveys suggest bullying is
responsible for
30 to 50% of all stress related
illnesses in the workplace.
Impact on Team Members (and witnesses)…
…Shutdown in behavior
…Social isolation
…Align with the bully
…Act aggressively toward targeted employee
WORKPLACE
The Organizational Cost
Bullying
It is estimated that
18 million working days per year are lost through the effects of workplace bullying in the UK alone.
Employees who are bullied
spend over
50% of their time
at work
defending themselves,
networking for support, thinking about the situation,
and being demotivated
and stressed
Economic Impact Decreased . . .• Productivity • Discretionary effort• Work quality• Safety
Increased . . . • Turnover• Absenteeism• Disability claims
18% of disability claims were based on psychological distress
attributed to workplace bullying
leading to…
an average of
159missed days
of work
Bullying costs organizations
billions of dollars
a year in lost productivity, turnover, and litigation.
In 2001, jury awarded plaintiff $325,000 for emotional distress.
In 2005, two employees shared $1.4 million settlement against CUNY.
Bullying BanCanadian & European
countries are much further ahead when it comes to anti-
bullying laws.
Protection from Harassment Act
Majrowksi v Guy’s and St. Thomas’s NHS Trust (1996/2005)
Britain’s highest court, the House of Lords, held that an employer is vicariously liable for
one employee's harassment of another
“Where we are now with workplace bullying is where we were with sexual harassment maybe 15 years ago before we had key court cases, before we had
the major Anita Hill blow-up.”
~Suzy Fox, Loyola University
21 states have introduced some version of anti-bullying legislation called
The Healthy Workplace Bill.
Healthy Workplace
Bill
What the HWB Does for Employers
• Defines an “abusive work environment”
• Sets a high standard for misconduct
• Requires proof of health harm by licensed health or mental health professionals
• Protects conscientious employers from vicarious liability risk when correction and prevention mechanisms are in effect
• Gives employers the reason to terminate or sanction offenders
What the HWB Does for Employers
• Gives employers the reason to terminate or sanction offenders
• Requires plaintiffs to use private attorneys
• Plugs the gaps in current state and federal civil rights protections
• Provides an avenue for legal redress for health harming cruelty at work
• Allows you to sue the bully as an individual
• Seeks restoration of lost wages and benefits
What the HWB DOES NOT DO for Employers
• Involve state agencies to enforce any provisions of the law
• Incur costs for adopting states
• Require plaintiffs to be members of protected status groups (it is “status-blind”)
• Use the term “workplace bullying”
Status of bill in New Jersey Legislature Awaiting committee hearing
• Jan. 10, 2012 - Senator Greenstein introduced the Healthy Workplace Bill in the NJ Senate as S 333.
• Established as “The Healthy Workplace Act,” S 333 was referred to the Senate Labor Committee.
• Committee members and chairpersons are not yet named for the new 2012-13 legislative session.
• Note: New Jersey’s 2-year legislative calendar runs from Jan. 2012 to Dec. 2013.
CYBER-
The Digital Age
Bullying
Bullying has entered the digital age.
In the past, bullying would have
been whispered, shouted or passed
around.
Now, with the Internet a bully can share
a photo, video or conversation with hundreds, even millions…
…with the click of a button
CyberBullying Examples• Malicious/threatening
emails/text
• Emails that feature offensive images, jokes, comments, etc.
• Emails correcting an individual that are copied to a group
• Malicious comments about an individual posted on the Internet
• Sharing embarrassing images or videos of an individual
ORGANIZATIONALCulture
Determines what attitudes and behaviors are tolerated
and even encouraged.
Bank of New York Mellon Corp.“Through our code of conduct, we outline
a work environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation or
bullying of any kind, as those types of behavior are inconsistent with our values.”
~Carl Melella, head of employee relations
A fundamental shift in culture has to happen in order to get companies to recognize that bullying is bad for business.
CASE
Study
BULLY-FREE
12 Steps to Deal with Bullying
Workplace
Develop a clear statement of organization
values including, most prominently,
respect
1) Respect: Antidote to Bullying
Establish and implement a
zero-tolerance anti-bullying
prevention policy
2) General Policy
• Add a cyberbulling section to your company policy
• Provide training for staff and management in dealing with cyberbulling
• Give concrete examples of what constitutes cyberbullying
• Emphasize that employees don’t write anything they wouldn’t say in person
• Remind staff that anything posted on the internet is there forever
• Consider blocking access to Social Networking sites at work
3) Cyber Policy
During onboarding, be clear about
your company’s non-bullying culture
and policies
4) Onboarding
Add an anti-bullying component to existing
discrimination and harassment training
5) Training
Educate staff on how to identify the characteristics and
behaviors of a bully
6) Educate
Roll out an anti-bullying
internal marketingcampaign
7) Marketing
Expect leaders to “walk the
talk” and serve as positive role models
8) Leading
Give employees a forum to speak freely
and communicate a company-wide
whistle blower policy
9) Whistle blower
Establish and communicate a
clear disciplinary process
10) Consequences
Take grievances seriously and
investigate them immediately
11) Investigate
Allows individuals to feel safe in
reporting incidents and can
help confirm behavior
12) Anonymous 360°
• Admit that you are being bullied
• Seek support from colleagues, friends and family members
• Get professional help - legal representation and mental health professional
• Keep a diary detailing the nature of the bullying and gather supporting evidence (paper trails, emails, voice mails, etc.)
• Include a witness when meeting with a bully
• Report aggressive behavior to HR
• Follow policy and procedure but know when it’s time to move on
What Can a Victim Do?
Sample Policy
Contact:
Dr. Paul [email protected] www.paulmarciano.com