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What HR Professionals Need to Know About Workplace Bullying Workplace bullying, just like childhood bullying, is when individuals or groups intentionally humiliate another person. At school, the victim is another student. At work, it is another employee—and it may be more rampant than you think! In 2012, the Workplace Bullying Institute conducted a survey about the prevalence of bullying in the workplace (http://www.workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/WBI-2012-StrategiesEff.pdf). Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported being bullied currently, 39% reported having been bullied in the past, and 3% reported having witnessed workplace bullying. Most perpetrators (63%) and victims (79%) were women. Women bullies torment women in 89% of cases; men bully women in 63% of cases. Most of the bullies (75%) are bosses; 18% are coworkers or peers, and 7% are subordinates. The effect of bullying can range from lower job satisfaction and health complaints to suicide. Stress is the most predominant health effect associated with bullying in the workplace and can result in an increase in the use of sick days or time off from work. Workplace bullying is also expensive: Author Robert Sutton reports that one company estimated annual losses of $160,000 from handling problems caused by one salesman’s bullying behaviors. In this interactive online training program, participants will learn: What employees can do if they are being bullied at work What employers can do to create a zero tolerance toward workplace bullying The benefits of addressing workplace bullying How to manage real-life scenarios ABOUT THE PRESENTER Judy Lindenberger President, The Lindenberger Group Judy Lindenberger "gets" leadership. She is a certified career coach and HR consultant capable of coupling personal growth with professional development, which is why top companies and individuals invite her to work with them. Judy's background includes designing and facilitating the first-ever sexual harassment prevention training for federal government workers, leading the management training department for a major financial organization, and creating a highly successful, global mentoring program for a Fortune 500 company which won the national Athena Award for Mentoring for two consecutive years. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Training and Development Magazine, and other publications. Judy holds an MBA in human resources and is based in New Jersey.
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Judy Lindenberger
The Lindenberger Group, LLC
PRESENTED BY SPONSORED BY
Workplace bullying defined
The definition, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute, is “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons, by one or more perpetrators, in the form of verbal abuse, offensive conduct/behavior and work interference.”
Bullying behaviors
A 2006 study of workplace bullying identified bullying behaviors.
F. A. Moayed, N. Daraiseh, R. Shell, and S. Salem, “Workplace bullying: a systematic review of risk factors and outcomes,” Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, vol. 7, pp. 311–327, 2006
Threat to professional status unwarranted or invalid criticism and blame without factual justification
Threat to personal standing being sworn at, shouted out, or humiliated
Isolation preventing access to opportunities, withholding necessary information, or using silent treatment to “ice out” and separate the victim from others
Overwork being given unrealistic work deadlines
Destabilization failure to acknowledge good work, allocation of meaningless tasks, setting the target up to fail
Bullying stories
“I had to make a bank deposit so I left the office and locked the door. When the bully could not get in, she called me, screamed, and threatened to have me fired. The next day another employee showed her the office key on her key chain. She never apologized. Her response was just ‘Oh, silly me.’”
Top 10 bullying tactics
1. Talking behind back 2. Interrupting 3. Flaunting authority 4. Belittling 5. Failing to communicate 6. The ‘silent treatment’ 7. Insults, shouting 8. Verbal sexual
harassment 9. Negative eye contact 10. Condescension
Gender differences
Women bullies
Tend to use subtle tactics
‘Silent treatment’
Encourage colleagues to turn against the victim
Men bullies
Tend to use overt tactics
Ridicule or yell publicly
Ways men bully
Public screaming
Sabotaging a person’s contribution
Post-complaint retaliation
Timing mistreatment to correspond with medical or psychological vulnerability
Withholding resources for success, then blaming the target
Name calling
Threatening job loss
Interfering with pay or earned benefits
Blocking access to equipment and resources
Assigning person to an unsafe work environment
Threatening to do physical harm
Boasting about owning and proficiency with a weapon
Engaging in physical aggression
Ways women bully
When bullies are women, they choose other women as their prey the majority of the time
Rolling their eyes
Spreading rumors
‘Silent treatment’
Encouraging colleagues to turn against the target
Bullying by the numbers
Workplace Bullying Institute (2012)
http://www.workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/WBI-2012-StrategiesEff.pdf
56% reported being bullied currently
39% reported having been bullied in the past
3% reported having witnessed workplace bullying
Most perpetrators (63%) and victims (79%) are women
Women bullies torment women in 89% of cases
Men bully women in 63% of cases
Most bullies (75%) are bosses; 18% are coworkers or peers, and 7% are subordinates
What’s the cost?
Author Robert Sutton reports that one company estimated annual losses of $160,000 from handling problems caused by one salesman’s bullying behaviors.
Plus serious health effects…
Hypertension
Auto-immune disorders
Depression
Anxiety
Bullying stories
In addition to emotional and psychological turmoil, victims can have their work and career disrupted.
“I did not go to the satellite office for months because I did not want to see the bully.”
How do bullies see themselves?
Rakesh Malhotra, founder of Five Global Values, writes, “most bullies portray themselves … as polite and respectful, as they are charming in public.”
Gretchen, from the movie, Mean Girls, says, “I’m sorry that people are so jealous of me … but I can’t help that I’m so popular.”
Bullying stories
Bullies often see themselves as the victim and don’t get or care how they make others feel.
Says one bully, “The biggest problem I have at work is that I don’t get respect from others.”
Why do they do it?
Most believe that bullies have psychological issues (88.1%) while others see bullying as career-driven: to weed out competition (60.3%) or to get ahead (52.4%).
Name some famous bullies!
Bullies by name
Eddie Haskell Bluto from Popeye Idi Amin Attila the Hun
Saddam Hussein Donald Trump Al Capone Mike Tyson Cleopatra Queen Elizabeth II
Marlon Brando Angelica from Rugrats Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Why put up with it?
Most bullies are at a level above the victim!
The boss as bully
In the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, Andy says about her boss, “She's not happy unless everyone around her is panicked, nauseous or suicidal.”
Bullying in the news
Former Asheville Citizen-Times editor Susan Ihne settled a $15 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the newspaper's publisher Randy Hammer and the parent company, Gannett.
Ihne’s Claims:
Hammer yelled and raised his voice at her
Belittled and degraded her on the job
Misused his power
Calculated efforts to destroy her self-confidence and get her to resign from her job
Bullying in the news
Two employees in Texas were awarded $250,000
Plaintiffs’ Claims:
Supervisor continually yelled at them
Put his head down and “charged at them like a bull”
Made an employee wear a sign that said "I quit"
How to spot bullying
Is the employee…
intimidated, threatened?
picked on unfairly or unreasonably?
humiliated in front of others?
being threatened with dismissal without cause?
What should employees do if they are being bullied at work? (Mark all that apply)
P1
Group Poll
What should be done
Over 90% think that discipline is the best course of action, 88.8% favor policies, 86.4% want to know how to report bullying, and 84.8% favor training.
Says one executive, “It’s
important to take complaints seriously and handle things quickly.”
What should happen if an employee forgets to follow someone’s directions?
P2
Group Poll
What should happen if a co-worker is angry at another employee?
P3
Group Poll
Benefits of addressing workplace bullying
Greater satisfaction
Higher retention
Positive reputation
Increased productivity
Reduced liability
Risk management
Share your voice…
What experiences have you had regarding workplace bullying? What have you done about it?
What must organizations do to prevent workplace bullying?
What organizations must do
Develop policies, provide training, let employees know how to report bullying, offer coaching, and create exit strategies
Take complaints seriously and follow through with disciplinary action
Create a culture to prevent workplace bullying
Human Resources
Managers
Leaders
Sample policy
Verbal Bullying: slandering, ridiculing or maligning a person or his/her family; persistent name calling which is hurtful, insulting or humiliating; using a person as butt of jokes; abusive and offensive remarks
Physical Bullying: pushing; shoving; kicking; poking; tripping; assault, or threat of physical assault; damage to a person’s work area or property
Gesture Bullying: non-verbal threatening gestures, glances which can convey threatening messages
Exclusion: socially or physically excluding or disregarding a person in work-related activities
The Company will not tolerate bullying behavior. Employees found in violation of this policy will be disciplined, up to and including termination. Bullying may be intentional or unintentional. When an allegation of bullying is made, the intention of the alleged bully is irrelevant, and will not be given consideration when meting out discipline. As in sexual harassment, it is the effect of the behavior upon the individual which is important. The following are examples of bullying:
Sample policy (cont’d)
In addition, the following examples may constitute bullying in the workplace:
Persistent singling out of one person
Shouting, raising voice at an individual in public and/or in private
Using verbal or obscene gestures
Not allowing the person to speak or express him/herself (i.e., ignoring or interrupting)
Personal insults and use of offensive nicknames
Public humiliation in any form
Constant criticism on matters unrelated or minimally related to the person’s job performance or job description
Ignoring/interrupting an individual at meetings
Public reprimands
Repeatedly accusing someone of errors which cannot be documented
Deliberately interfering with mail and other communications
Sample policy (cont’d)
Spreading rumors and gossip regarding individuals
Encouraging others to disregard a supervisor’s instructions
Manipulating the ability of someone to do their work (e.g.; overloading, under loading, withholding information, setting meaningless tasks, setting deadlines that cannot be met, giving deliberately ambiguous instructions)
Inflicting menial tasks not in keeping with the normal responsibilities of the job
Taking credit for another person’s ideas
Refusing reasonable requests for leave
Deliberately excluding an individual or isolating them from work-related activities (meetings, etc.)
Unwanted physical contact, physical abuse or threats of abuse to an individual or an individual’s property (defacing or marking up property)
If you observe or experience workplace bullying, report it immediately to your supervisor, Human Resources, or any member of management.
Thank you!
What did you learn?
What will you do differently?
The Lindenberger Group
www.lindenbergergroup.com
609.730.1049
SPONSORED BY
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