Last week, I got a troubling call from a client. She wanted my help in brainstorming a solution for a personal problem – her sister “Debbie” was having severe, stress-related issues at work; she was being bullied.
Debbie felt helpless and ashamed. She didn’t know what to do. Should she ignore the bullying? File a complaint? Risk her job? She was at her wit’s end and needed a plan of action.
The first things we needed to determine was if Debbie was in fact a victim of bullying or if she was just dealing with incivility. According to Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik, Author of Take This Job and … , workplace bullying is “persistent verbal and nonverbal aggression at work, that includes personal attacks, social ostracism, and a multitude of other painful messages and hostile interactions.“
Based on this and other, similar definitions, we concluded that Debbie was certainly being bullied—badly! Her boss was creating an incredibly hostile work environment, with frequent yelling, belittling and ongoing–and unfounded–threats to her job security.
Together, we came up with some good ideas. (I’ll share them in my next blog post, which will discuss how to handle a workplace bully.) Yesterday, my client called me to say thanks for the advice — she told me of the positive outcome to the situation. I came away from this experience more convinced than ever that it is a moral obligation for companies to inform and guide employees on their expected behavior as well as the consequences.
I am still amazed that Debbie’s firm, a global marketing company, didn’t have protective measures in place for Debbie and her co-workers.
After all, according to the 2010 WBI’s Workplace Bullying Survey, 35% of the U.S. workforce (an est. 53.5 million Americans) report being bullied at work; an additional 15% witness it. Half of all Americans have directly experienced it. Simultaneously, 50% report neither experiencing nor witnessing bullying. Hence, a “silent epidemic.”
Clearly a lot of employees are needlessly suffering. And so are companies! Workplace bullying is responsible for absenteeism (which affects productivity), needless turnover, expensive worker’s comp payments for stress related complaints, costly legal filings and untold damage to corporate brands.
My 2-cents. If public school systems throughout the country are taking proactive and very decisive action to wipe out bullying in academic settings, shouldn’t companies do the same?
Here are 6 Culture-Boosting Steps Your Firm Must Take to Combat Bullying
1) Show commitment to the issue: Companies should clearly communicate their ongoing cultural attitude regarding a respectful workplace. One approach: Hang “Stop Bullying” posters throughout the office to reinforce the message.
2) Write an Anti-Bullying Policy: This policy must apply to everyone who works for the firm as well as consultants and vendors. It must define workplace bullying, give specific examples and state the consequences of committing these acts.
3) Develop and communicate procedures for evaluating, formalizing and responding to complaints. This process should be confidential and employees must be assured that no retaliation will be made against them.
4) Enlist Anti-Bullying Ambassadors : These impartial, third party colleagues should be trained to help mediate and resolve situations and support those with concerns over bullying.
5) Inform ALL employees: A clear and comprehensive communication plan must be put in place to explain the details of the Anti-Bullying program. This should be an ongoing effort.
6) Integrate the program with other ongoing corporate initiatives such as orientations, performance reviews, training, reputation management, social media outreach and recruiting policies.
Workplace abuse and harassment is a source of shame for everyone involved. In honor of Freedom from Bullies at Work Week – which was just last week – let’s all get motivated for some positive change!
