54 million Americans have experienced bullying directly.
The above figure comes from The Workplace Bullying Institute. This organization seeks to raise awareness of this unwelcome and uninvited phenomenon, as part of its mission.
Organizational costs resulting from workplace bullying are also phenomenal.
Workplace bullies come in either gender and in all shapes and forms. Some workplace bullies are in positions of authority, and their verbal bullets can effectively paralyze lower grade-level employees.
The costs are serious. Whatever form—or status of the bully—workplace bullying takes a huge toll on American businesses—in terms of higher absenteeism, lower productivity and increased liability, to name just a few.
There’s more. Workplace bullies can tarnish a company’s reputation and jeopardize customer relations and customer/employee retention rates. As an employment attorney points out, in an Aug. 4, 2008, Wall Street Journal article, workplace bullies not only attack the individual, but the entire company.
At minimum, a workplace jerk can drain all the energy out of the working environment. For some reason, workplace bullies tend to step on anyone in order to get whatever it is they want. And, they’ll do it as long as they can get away with it.
Let me be clear. I’m not talking about the occasional, out-of-place comment that many of us make and immediately regret. I’m talking about the day-in and day-out, taunting and unrelenting workplace bully. Workplace bullies are repeat offenders, malicious and hurtful. They are the ones who habitually and publicly humiliate others. This morale-damaging conduct is not conducive to workplace productivity and business success.
Many polls report sobering data about workplace bullying. Results from one poll show that one in three employees personally experience bullying at some point during their working life.
Wow! How many more burdens will be placed on the backs of America’s employers? It’s bad enough that the term "workplace violence" crops up in the news almost weekly, if not daily, anymore.
Some bullying behaviors are blatantly illegal and some are not. Anyone reading this probably has workplace-jerk stories that could make even the most offensive characters in Dilbert or The Office seem like Snow White or Sir Galahad.
Some organizational psychologists classify employee gossip as a form of bullying, particularly when targeted employees are ostracized as a result of habitual malicious chatter. Concerns about toning down such negative workplace distractions are probably why a HRTools.com article about sensitivity training is one of the most popularly read articles on the site.
Fair or not—ignore it or not—workplace bullying has major negative implications for any U.S. private or government employer, and regardless of industry—even for a hospital operating room.
Bullies are bullies, which is particularly problematic when they have authority or power over others. For example, in a decision announced on April 8, 2008, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of an employee who claimed that he suffered workplace bullying at the hands of an operating room physician. In that case, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed a $325,000 jury award for the employee.
In an ideal world, employers should not have to be in the business of preventing workplace bullying (or workplace violence). But, in a May 7, 2008, BusinessWeek article titled, "Employers Can’t Ignore Workplace Bullies," Karen E. Klein, BusinessWeek’s Smart Answer columnist, addresses small business employers directly.
Klein explains that many businesses are adopting an anti-bullying policy for business reasons. Among them:
To raise awareness
- To improve employee morale
- To help avoid legal trouble
- To help reduce employee turnover
- To help improve employee productivity
I was astounded to learn that millions of American employees have experienced such mistreatment and potential anguish. Mistreated workers are also suffering workers, so they’re not sleeping well either. It’s hard to imagine that suffering and nodding-off workers are productive—or focused, because most bullied employees will sooner or later look for safer pastures.
What's next? Employee safety manuals for coping with workplace bullies?
This is my first in a series about "Workplace Bullying" at HRTools.com. In future Insights, I will provide additional resources and information about confronting this issue head-on.
Meantime, as with any employee-related issue, I strongly recommend that employers seek legal counsel when addressing this problem in the workplace.