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New Study Says Workplace Bullying On Rise: What You Can Do During National Bullying Prevention Month

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Just before the 2019 Super Bowl between the Rams and Patriots, the New England quarterback Tom Brady appeared in a news conference with a young boy who asked, “What do we do about haters?” Brady replied with a beaming smile, “You love them. We don’t hate. You love them and wish them a good life.” Words of a true champion.

National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. You might think bullying is something that only children have to worry about. And with all the media attention, you might even think it’s a behavior that has waned. But let’s look at the alarming statistics. An older 2008 poll on workplace bullying found that 75% of employees reported being affected as either a target or witness. And a new 2019 Monster.com survey out this month found that nearly 94% out of 2081 employees said they had been bullied in the workplace. That’s a huge increase (19%) in the last eleven years. Over half (51.1%) in the Monster.com survey said they were bullied by a boss or manager. The ways the respondents said they were bullied were aggressive email tones (23.3%), coworkers’ negative gossip (20.2%) and someone yelling at them (17.8%).

“Just because bullying is common–too common, per our survey results–doesn’t mean it’s normal,” says Forbes contributor Vicki Salemi, Monster Career Expert. “This is unacceptable behavior and it should not be normalized. If this is happening to you, and you’re on the receiving end, you deserve better! The good news is there are better bosses and companies who do treat you with respect and colleagues who don’t gossip out there.”

The Workplace Bullying Institute defines workplace bullying as, “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is: threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or work-interference, i.e., sabotage, which prevents work from getting done.”

The fact that nearly 4 out of 10 professionals have been bullied by a coworker is a startling statistic. Salemi says if you’re among the majority who have been bullied, it’s important to look at why and how it happened. A closer look can reveal that bullying can be covert, not as overt as someone yelling at you. Sometimes workplace bullying is difficult to detect because it happens within the covert structure of the company. Plus, bullies are often high-functioning employees, valued and supported because they bring high-dollar to the organization.

Work Shouldn’t Hurt: Take Action

If you’re being bullied or witnessing it at work, don’t silence yourself and don’t let it continue. Say something right away with the following actions:

  • Call attention to the bully’s actions directly, calmly and professionally.
  • If it continues, start documenting the episodes in writing and start a file of who, when and where the abuse occurs. Save emails or other correspondence that reflect cyberbullying or that verify other types of bullying.
  • Although bullying isn’t illegal, you can find out if your company has a policy against harassment or abuse. Being able to cite specific taboos about bullying in your employee handbook strengthens your case.
  • If it still continues, speak to your boss (as long as he or she isn’t the bully) or HR department (as long as it isn’t part of the organizational rule compliance structure). If all else fails, consult an attorney who can give you the legal advice you might need on how to handle workplace bullying. Or check out the helplines and websites below:

Workplace Bullying Institute: www.workplacebullying.org. Provides information on tutorials and actions you can take if you’re a bullying target or witness.

The Cybersmile Foundation: www.cybersmile.org. Committed to tackling all forms of digital abuse, harassment and online bullying, Cybersmile offers expert support, resources and consulting to individuals, corporations and educational institutions.

STOP BULLYING NOW HOTLINE (USA): Supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the helpline is available 24/7: 800-273-8255.

  • If you come up empty handed and bullying persists, Salemi advises that you start looking for another job: “You have the power to find a company that’s the right fit for you. The right fit means a positive environment, boss who respects you (rather than belittle or ignores you), the office culture and camaraderie, along with the job responsibilities, pay and benefits, flexible work arrangements and more.”

Message To Companies: Inaction Creates A Revolving Door

If you’re a leader of an organization, you can’t afford to allow bullying or cyberbullying to continue because it hurts your bottom line. Workplace performance will drop, and you will compromise the integrity of your company. Minimizing, covering up or turning your head the other way, in effect, creates a toxic culture for all employees.

According to Salemi, “It’s in companies’ best interest to become more transparent and aware of this bad behavior and implement consequences to the bully. With the labor shortage, it will become more difficult to attract and retain talented workers if your company’s environment is bullying. It will become a revolving door for workers because they know there’s a better workplace out there.”

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