Does Your Workplace Encourage Bullying?

What is Workplace Bullying?

Workplace bullying is the deliberate mistreatment of an employee by a supervisor or co-workers. Not only does it create a hellish situation for the targeted employee, it can hurt the morale of all workers and lead to lower productivity throughout the department. A workplace bully can undermine your company and rob you just as surely as if he had cracked the company safe. It is important, therefore, to be able to identify bullies and stop bullying behavior. Some research indicates that up to 30% of American workers are bullied on the job, and that most often the bully is their supervisor.

The supervisor may be stressed himself and not know how to promote those behaviors in workers that will lead to better morale and higher productivity. Some signs of a bully boss include.

• Ranting or yelling at an employee
• Belittling an employee in front of others
• Unjustified reprimands
• Slurs about the employee's gender, race or ethnicity 

At times, a boss may single out only one or two workers — often the most productive — to treat this way. Interviews have revealed that most employees who are bullied leave the company within two years. Their resignations are often accompanied by lawsuits.

How do you get rid of bullying behavior?

• Take seriously any employee who reports that he has been the target of bullying.
• Inform workplace bullies that their behavior will not be tolerated.
• Seek legal advice. Some bullying can cross the line into sexual or racial harassment which is illegal.
• Sign up your supervisors, employees and yourself for training on workplace bullying.

Training your supervisors and employees to understand how to deal with workplace bullying can go a long way toward diminishing unwanted behavior, increasing workplace morale and productivity and enhancing your company's reputation as a desirable place to work. 

Categories: Workplace Compliance