| Thousands of children are terrified to go to school | | | | 4. You should avoid private interactions with the bully. |
| because of a bully. Have you ever wondered what | | | | Some bullies recognize that their behavior is |
| happened to the bully in your school? Well, that | | | | inappropriate and refrain from treating you badly in |
| schoolyard bully grew up, got a job, and is now a | | | | front of others. If your workplace bully only mistreats |
| workplace bully. She still uses threats, ridicule, and a | | | | you in private then avoid private interactions. Also, |
| negative disposition to terrorize those around her. | | | | there will be witnesses who can attest to the bully's |
| Workplace bullying is aggressive or unreasonable | | | | behavior if the interactions are not private. |
| behavior designed to negatively impact or destroy a | | | | 5. You should document the bully's behavior. Your |
| coworker. Workplace bullies can be managers, | | | | allegations will be taken more seriously when they are |
| coworkers, subordinates and even clients. Workplace | | | | presented factually and not emotionally. You remove |
| bullies are insecure people who attempt to mask their | | | | your allegations from the emotional realm when you |
| insecurities with control and domination. The target | | | | approach your employer with fully documented facts, |
| usually provides insight into the bully. Bullies often target | | | | i.e., names, dates, witnesses, and details. |
| people they envy, people who have the traits and | | | | 6. You should consider filing an internal complaint |
| talents the bully wishes she possessed. The bully | | | | against the bully. You need to make someone else in |
| attempts to destroy the more skilled and more | | | | your company aware of how you are being treated. |
| talented individual to feel more secure in her | | | | You should make the complaint to Human Resources, |
| employment. According to the Workplace Bullying | | | | a high ranking company official, or someone identified in |
| Institute, the following are the most common tactics | | | | the company's complaint procedure. |
| used by workplace bullies: | | | | 7. You should consider looking for a new job. |
| - Falsely criticizing the target's work quality. | | | | Workplace bullying typically ends with the employee's |
| - Staring, glaring, nonverbally intimidating, and showing | | | | resignation or termination. According to the Workplace |
| hostility. | | | | Bullying Institute, "more than 80 percent of those bullied |
| - Discounting the targets thoughts or feelings. | | | | lose their jobs." You should consider looking for a job |
| - Sabotaging or interfering with the target's ability to | | | | so that you can leave on your terms. |
| work. | | | | 8. You should consider filing an external complaint |
| - Ridiculing, undermining, screaming, and yelling at the | | | | against your employer and/or the bully. Sixty-two |
| target. | | | | percent of employers ignore complaints of workplace |
| - Nitpicking and paying attention to unimportant details. | | | | bullying. That means that your help will likely come from |
| - Constantly reminding the target of mistakes. | | | | an individual or entity outside of your company. |
| - Threatening the target's job, reputation, or work | | | | Workplace bullying is four times more prevalent than |
| status. | | | | illegal harassment. Yet, employers ignore most |
| - Abusing the evaluation process by lying about the | | | | complaints of workplace bullying, telling the victim to |
| target's performance. | | | | "work it out" with the bully. The employers who react in |
| - Declaring the target "insubordinate" for failing to follow | | | | that way do not appreciate the financial cost of |
| arbitrary commands. | | | | workplace bullying and are relying on the fact that |
| - Assigning the target undesirable work as punishment. | | | | workplace bullying is not illegal. There are 16 States |
| - Creating unrealistic deadlines, duties, and work | | | | that are considering "healthy workplace" laws |
| demands. | | | | prohibiting workplace bullying but, to date, no State has |
| - Encouraging the target to quit or transfer or face | | | | made workplace bullying illegal. So, you should avoid |
| more mistreatment. | | | | describing your situation as workplace bullying. Instead, |
| - Ensuring failure of the target's project by not | | | | you should use terms the law recognizes such as |
| performing required tasks, such as sign-offs, taking | | | | harassment, discrimination, and hostile work |
| calls, working with collaborators. Many employees do | | | | environment. If your physical characteristics or those of |
| not report the workplace bully for fear that the | | | | your harasser make it difficult for you to make a viable |
| behavior will worsen or they will lose their jobs. But, | | | | harassment, discrimination, or hostile work environment |
| ignoring the behavior will not solve the problem. "Bullies | | | | claim then you should talk in terms of torts such as |
| don't reform - ever," says Bruce Taylor, owner and | | | | assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and |
| principle of Unison Coaching. "They may hide the | | | | tortious interference with employment. The Indiana |
| bullying for a while, or they move on to another victim, | | | | Supreme Court recently decided Raess v. Doescher, a |
| but they won't stop bullying." Bullies enjoy bullying. | | | | case many are calling the first workplace bullying case. |
| Bullying is a personality trait which the bully has | | | | In the Raess case, Joseph Doescher sued a surgeon |
| sharpened for years. It is her way of life now. The | | | | who treated him poorly at work. The Indiana Supreme |
| workplace bullying usually does not stop until the | | | | Court stated in its written opinion that "workplace |
| targeted employee resigns or is terminated. Gary | | | | bullying could be considered a form of intentional |
| Namie, a psychology professor at Western | | | | infliction of emotional distress." And, the jury awarded |
| Washington University, says that "once the bullying | | | | Doescher $325,000 on his assault claim. There are |
| starts, most can only stay 16.5 months because it | | | | legal causes of action which reach workplace bullying. |
| costs them their health." You can handle workplace | | | | You should use those legal terms and not "workplace |
| bullying in the following ways: | | | | bullying" when speaking to your employer. |
| 1. You must perform your job well and make sure that | | | | Legal risk is not the only risk workplace bullying poses |
| others know you are performing your job well. | | | | to companies. Workplace bullying presents significant |
| Workplace bullying takes a tremendous emotional toll | | | | financial costs to companies with respect to |
| on the target. If that emotional toll causes your | | | | productivity, operating cost, and work quality. A |
| performance to deteriorate, then the bully's baseless | | | | University of North Carolina workplace bullying study |
| accusations of poor performance can turn into | | | | found that 28% of targets lost work time avoiding the |
| warranted accusations of poor performance. You | | | | bully, 22% of targets decreased their work effort, and |
| cannot defeat a workplace bully if you are not | | | | 12% of targets changed jobs to avoid the bully. Health |
| performing your job well. | | | | care costs also rise as the target's stress becomes a |
| 2. You should not internalize the bully's attacks. | | | | sickness or illness that requires medical treatment, sick |
| Workplace bullies constantly criticize, ridicule, and | | | | leave, or FMLA leave. If the targeted employee resigns |
| disparage their target. That can beat the target down | | | | or is terminated, the company will incur significant costs |
| and cause the target to believe that the bully's | | | | in hiring and training a replacement and loss of |
| negative statements are true. The target must reject | | | | company wisdom and experience. Human resources |
| those lies. | | | | experts estimate that replacing an employee costs a |
| 3. You should gather your witnesses, coworkers, and | | | | company two to three times the lost employee's |
| friends for your defense. It is fantastic if you have | | | | salary. There is also the time and expense of handling |
| individuals who can support your allegations. However, | | | | internal employee complaints about the behavior. So, |
| since 72% of bullies are bosses, there may not be | | | | you should not discuss emotions or moral impropriety |
| anyone who will support you. Coworkers are rarely | | | | when you complain about workplace bullying. You |
| willing to take a stand against a boss, especially a bully | | | | should speak a language your employer will pay |
| boss. | | | | attention to and understand . . . legal and financial risk. |