Unlike the playground bully who often resorts to physical threats, the workplace bully sets out on a course of constant, but subtle harassment.
The nature of bullying in the workplace is really an abusive disrespect of employees. There are two forms of workplace bullying:
- Individual—This form is a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage, which is often very subtle, but constant.
- Group—This form is also subtle and consists of a group of individuals targeting one single individual (or sometimes a few individuals) using innuendos or by spreading rumors, all of which happens behind the scenes. Sometimes the group also does some public discrediting of the person they’re targeting. Others can sometimes be co-opted into participating because they agree with the bully, but more often because they fear retribution from the bully.
Identifying Bullying in the Workplace
Depending on the number of employees in a company, one way to discover bullying in the workplace is to conduct a climate survey. For organizations large enough to ensure anonymity to respondents, climate surveys can be used to surface facts and establish a reporting mechanism for the employee who has a complaint.
If someone does report an incident, the company will need to have a method or process in place for investigating and mediating complaints. Managers should be very clear about your company’s process of handling complaints regarding bullying behavior. Some bullying can occur accidentally—for example, when an employee who is not engaged in long term or intentional bullying behavior unintentionally crosses a line. However, most bullies are manipulative and most bullying is intentional and subtle, which is why it’s often difficult to detect.
Finally, while anonymous surveys may be used to help identify the problem, for example, the fact that “underground” bullying behavior is taking place, surveys alone are not the solution.
Steps to Reducing Bullying in the Workplace
Important steps employers can take to help reduce bullying include the following:
- Have a Formal Anti-Bullying Policy—In most cases, this is an extension of the company’s anti-harassment policy, using specific language stating that bullying in the workplace will not be tolerated. Once you have a policy that defines bullying behavior as unacceptable and encourages employees to report bullying in the workplace anonymously, reports of bullying may increase. Such complaints will provide you opportunities to correct what is happening.
- Build a Culture of Respect—This must start at the top and move down from there. Building a culture of respect in your workplace will allow employees to flourish. A culture of respect significantly reduces the frequency and intensity of bullying and could even stop it before it starts.
In my work experiences, there have been times when I have seen top managers lead or participate in the bullying. There are even certain industries or professions that tend to condone and promote acts of manipulation, disrespect and other types of bullying. When this happens the outcomes are usually serious, but may not be immediately obvious. The loss of key employees or clients, reduced morale, productivity and profitability and even public complaints that undermine the company’s reputation are typical. So it’s very important to think about the culture you want to have in your workplace and build it in consciously.
- Create a Formal Reporting Process—After you have a culture of respect built into your workplace, you can build in a formal process for reporting incidents and for disciplining violators. This is important because it shows employees that you will not tolerate bullying and that they will face consequences if they participate in the bullying behavior.
Legal Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is for general, informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. This information is not a substitute for the guidance of a professional and should not be relied upon in reference to any specific situation without first seeking the advice of a qualified HR professional and/or legal counsel regarding applicable federal, state or local laws. HRTools, Insperity and their respective employees make no warranties, express or implied, and make no judgments regarding the accuracy of this content and/or its applicability to a specific situation. A reference or link to another website is not an endorsement of that site or service.