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2011 AAHPERD/NAGWS
SWIM, Don’t Tread Water!Strategies for Managing
Workplace Bullying
Dr. L. Jean Henry, PhD
Dept. of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation, & Dance
University of Arkansas
Dr. Lori Dewald, EdD, ATC, CHES, F-AAHE
Dept. of Health and Wellness
College of Health Science
Kaplan University
Session ObjectivesThe first part of this session will include University faculty
summarizing findings regarding adult bullying in higher education, including…• current status.• contributing factors.• personal experiences.• current strategies to address the problem. • recommendations for future efforts, particularly
among faculty.
Bullying Defined
The intentional infliction of a hostile work environment upon an employee by a coworker or coworkers, typically through the combination of verbal and nonverbal behaviors. (Yamada, 2000)
Bullying• Bullying is a non-physical, non-homicidal form of violence and because it is
violence and abusive, emotional harm frequently results.
• It is a repeated and persistent pattern of negative behavior ongoing for six months or longer duration.
• Bullying can be either vertical (hierarchical) or horizontal (non-hierarchical).
• Distinguished from “Aggression” - a single or “isolated” instance of negative workplace behavior.
• Degrees of bullying are contingent on the frequency, intensity, and duration of the bullying behaviors.
In any given 24 hour period of time….
4 million workers in the USA are bullied!
166,666 per hour!
2777 per minute!
Statistics
• 37% of the US workforce report being bullied at work.
• 1/3rd of the US workforce report their bosses have sabotaged, yelled at, or belittled them.
• 57% of the estimated 54 million people who are bulled at work are women. (Sept. 2007 Survey).
• 72% of the bullies are superiors over the victims.
• Women bullies target other women 71% of the time.
Costs of Bullying
• Bullying in nursing reported to cost over $4 billion yearly!
• Academia??• Loss of qualified faculty.• Decreased levels of productivity.• Loss of creativity and innovations.• Increased costs to advertise, interview, and hire new employees.• Increased costs to train new employees.• New employees replace the bullies target and then the new faculty
member becomes the new target and the cycle continues.
Costs of Bullying
• Health Impact?
• The health care costs associate with bullying drive up health insurance costs and rates to employers resulting in billions and billions of dollars every year.
Mental and Emotional Health Consequences
Stress Headaches
Anxiety Irritability
Emotional/crying Stomach ache
Sleeplessness/Insomnia Decreased self esteem
Panic attacks Prolonged Duress Stress Disorder
Clinical depression Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lack of concentration Suicide
Additional ImpactsPhysical Health• 45% of victims suffer stress-related problems• Impaired immune system / Auto-immune diseases• Chronic fatigue syndrome• Diabetes• Increased cardiovascular disease• Increased blood pressure • Musculoskeletal disorders
Psychosocial Health• Family consequences• Social isolation• Marriage issues
If for no other reason than these, as Health Educators, we are ethically obligated to address
the problem of bullying!
Legal Climate• Only 3% of bullied people file lawsuits.
• Specified categories are entitled to protection under federal and state anti-discrimination law; bullying can only if it can be tied to one of the protected classes.
• Bullying is more prevalent than sexual harassment! Why??
• Bullying today is what sexual harassment was 20 years ago!
• Jurors in employment cases identify with the employee rather than the employer.
Current Status• The two professions that bullying is most
common in are:• Education• Nursing
• Both are nurturing professions that have a dark side….bullying.
Why Academia and Education?
• Decentralized operating system.
• Department Chairs may lack training in dealing with bullying or they are the bully!
• Historical hierarchy (power imbalance)• Tenured faculty member verses the tenure track faculty
member.• Department chair verses the tenure track faculty member• College Dean verses the Dept. Chair or tenure track
faculty member.
Why Academia and Education?• Tenure…a job for life and a ticket to bullying for the
dysfunctional.
• Changing nature of Academia – community service to bottom line.
• Growing use of adjunct faculty.
• Academia offers opportunities for Cyber Bullies!• Peer review process of academic journals• Listserves• Blogs
• Administrators minimize the behaviors as “mere personality conflicts” and victims feel delegitimized.
Profile of a Bully• Mentally and emotionally unstable.• Socially awkward with few if any social skills.• Were playground bullies as children.• Abused as children.• Alcohol and drug usage.• Quick temper• Intolerant of others• Dismissiveness• Personal life alternating between chaos or crisis.• Threatened by the target and their successes.• Mid-functioning dysfunctionals.
Enabling Factors for Bullying• Education is an enabling structure that supports bullying!
• Bullying intimidation thrives in an atmosphere in which employees silently witness the abuse of colleagues or conceal their own!
• Employers ignore the problem.• 62% of employees don’t report.
• Victims are further victimized by the system.• Similar to other psychological crimes.
Profile of a Victim
• Mentally, emotionally, and socially superior to the bully.
• Victims are well liked by their peers, have more social skills, and are superior in their emotional intelligence.
• Independent thinker and not subservient.
• Bullies seek to enslave the target.
• Victims are ethical and honest.
• Victims are non-confrontational and do not respond with aggression toward the aggression of the bully.
The Dirty Dozen (Sutton, 2007)
1. Personal insults2. Invading personal territory3. Uninvited physical contact4. Threats and intimidation5. Sarcastic jokes and teasing6. Toxic emails7. Humiliation8. Public shaming9. Rude interruptions10. Two-faced attacks11. Dirty looks12. Treating people as if they are invisible
Cycle of Abuse
Power and Control Wheel
Recommendations for Institutional Efforts
• Start a discussion on your campus about workplace bullying.
• Promote a NO BULLYING statement.• Promote a NO BULLYING pledge.• Develop a ZERO TOLERANCE BULLYING policy
in the faculty handbook.• Promote research on bullying in the HPERD
professions. There is currently no research in the HPERD professions related to bullying.
• Advocacy for state and federal laws.
Strategies for the Individual1. Define the problem2. Demand respect3. Develop support4. Research and document everything!
• Once an electronic file has been saved and closed, do not open it back up….instead start a new file.
• Never write on your office computer• Carry the disk home with you everyday• Note date, time, details.
5. Defend yourself• Meet with human resources• Employers union if you have one• Equal opportunity office• Independent labor lawyer
6. Lead by example. Turn your victimization into advocacy.
Personal Action Plan
Resources• http://www.workplacebullying.org
• http://www.dignityatwork.org
• http://www.academicladder.com/gblog/2008/02/mean-and-nasty-academics-bullying.htm
• http://tomprofblog.mit.edu/
Resources• Keashly, L., Neuman, J. (2010). Faculty Experiences with
Bullying in Higher Education: Causes, Consequences, and Management. Administrative Theory and Praxis. 322(1):48-70.
• Lester, J. (2009). Not Your Child’s Playground: Workplace Bullying Among Community College Faculty. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. 33:446-464.
• Twale, D.J., & Deluca, B.M. (2008). Faculty Incivility: The Rise of the Academic Bully Culture and What to Do About It. Josey-Bass Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-470-19766-0.
• Yamada, D. (2000). The Phenomenon of “workplace bullying” and the need for status blind hostile work environment protection. Georgetown Law Journal. 88:475-516.
Materials from Other Universities
• MIT • http://hrweb.mit.edu/policy/3/3-10.html
• University of Manitoba• http://www.umanitoba.ca/admingovernance/governin
gdocuments/community/566.htm• University of Michigan
• http://www.urespect.umich.edu/ • Syracuse University
• http://humanresources.syr.edu/staff/
What do those crazy numbers mean??
During this workshop,
208,275people have been bullied
in their workplace.
Questions?
