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Brown Bagger

This section is set up to provide a ready-made Brown Bag Session for you to use with employees and/or managers. Use as is, or adapt this information for a general employee group. You may reproduce as many copies as needed.

Bullying in the Workplace: Addressing an Often Overlooked Problem movement is currently underway to combat workplace bullying, a problem routinely encountered by employee assistance professionals. Workplace bullying – also known as psychological violence at work – is considered present when the mistreatment is repeated, and when it harms the employee’s health. This type of bullying is non-physical and psychological, but it’s “violence” nonetheless. Of workers identified as bullied, 41% are clinically depressed, while 30% of women and 21% of men suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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Bullying Movement Making Headway Workplace bullying may be gaining legal ground. The Indiana Supreme Court recently affirmed the jury’s verdict in the so-called “bullying trial” against Dan Raess, M.D., for his intimidating assault of Joe Doescher, original plaintiff in the case. In the Supreme Court’s reversal of an appellate court decision, justices commented that, “workplace bullying could be considered a form of intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

There are no current laws in the U.S. against workplace bullying, but that could be changing.

The Workplace Bullying Institute-Legislative Campaign (WBI-LC) is responsible for legislation introduced in 13 states since 2003. Several bills are currently active in New York state. And many states are expected to introduce some version of the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill in 2009.

“This legal opinion will certainly bolster the workplace bullying movement,” states Gary Namie, director of the WBI and the expert witness in the Indiana case. He predicts that the effect beyond litigation will be to “legitimize workers who are bullied but disbelieved.”

The first scientific national survey of workplace bullying was commissioned by WBI and conducted by Zogby International in 2007. The startling WBI-Zogby results included: September 2008

4 37% of the U.S. workforce have been bullied (representing 54 million Americans); 4 72% of bullies are bosses; 4 Bullied employees rarely complain – 40% do nothing, only 15% file formal complaints with their employer, only 4% file federal or state complaints, only 3% file lawsuits; 4 Bullying stops when targeted people quit (40%), get fired (24%) or transfer jobs (13%) – meaning that targets pay the price for bullying most of the time.

Who is Typically Targeted?

Adult targets of bullying are selected because of their refusal to be subservient (“insubordination” is the most frequent complaint about targets), their superior work or social skills (which threaten the bully who lacks emotional intelligence), or their ethical whistle blowing.

Women bullies primarily target women (71% of cases), although 60% of bullies are men. Charges of sexual or racial harassment apply in only about one-fifth of bullying cases.

Response to workplace bullying increases when complainants enjoy protected status as defined by federal or state anti-discrimination laws. However, if the perpetrator and target of harassment are protected, or the target is not a member of a protected group, these laws do not apply.

Even when bullying conduct is confirmed and EA professionals recognize the harm it’s creating in the workplace, harassment that is not illegal may be ignored. Employers can either worsen or ignore bullying complaints in 62% of cases. As a result, current laws often do not address bullying, even though it is four times more prevalent than illegal forms of harassment.

Most bullies adopt contradictory behaviors.

They terrorize their prey while at the same time ingratiating themselves with higher-ranking workers. One federal agency executive, for EA Report Brown Bagger 1

Brown Bagger example, refused to terminate an acknowledged division chief bully because he was a great conversationalist and lunch buddy. Bullies’ targets, on the other hand, generally are not believed when they complain. They are referred to as “whiners” and accused of being “thin-skinned” or “provocative” and thus deserving of their fate.

As a result, investigations nearly always conclude that the problem is merely a clash in personalities between bully and target. Some managers or supervisors will state that, “That’s why they call it ‘work’,” or, “It’s just tough management.”

But workplace bullying is not “tough” management – it is illegitimate behavior; it interferes with an employee’s productivity and the employer’s business interest. Remarkably, the targets bear the effects of their unsolicited misery. In 64% of bullying cases, targets either quit their job to stop the bullying, or they were constructively discharged.

Bullying Types and Tactics The following are some types and tactics of bullying – but bear in mind that a worker who bullies may adopt any tactic at any time to accomplish his or her goal of controlling the target.

Constant Critic The constant critic is extremely negative. This individual is loved by senior management because of an ability to “get those people to produce.” The constant critic aims to destroy confidence and encourages self-doubt. This type of bully: • Uses insults, put-downs, and belittling comments; • Discusses the target’s “incompetence”; • Makes unreasonable demands with impossible deadlines, disproportionate pressure, and expectation of perfection; • Demonstrates disrespect by hovering over the target, overusing memos, emails, and other messages to bury the target in correspondence; and • Criticizes aspects of the target’s life that are irrelevant to work – appearance, family, friends, etc.

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Two-Headed Snake This bully has a “Jekyll-Hyde” way of dealing with people. “Friendliness” serves only to decrease resistance to supplying information that may later be used against you. This type of bully: • Plays favorites; • Ensures that the target does not have the resources (time, supplies, etc.) to do the necessary work; • Assigns meaningless or “dirty” tasks as punishment; • Breaches confidentiality by sharing private information about the target with co-workers or other people; and • Steals credit for work done by the target.

Gatekeeper The gatekeeper is a control freak. This person needs to establish that he or she is “one up” on you, to order you around or to control your circumstances. This type of bully: • Deliberately cuts the target out of the communication loop (stops email, distribution of memos, etc.); • Does not follow internal policies and procedures that protect employees from various actions or behaviors; and • Makes up new rules on a whim that the target is expected to follow, while the bully is exempt.

Screaming Mimi This person is the stereotypical bully – controlling through fear and intimidation. This type of bully: • Is overbearing, self-centered, and insensitive to the needs of others; • Poisons the workplace with angry outbursts; • Yells, screams, or curses; and • Intimidates through gestures, finger pointing, etc.

According to the WBI, bullying actions qualify as bullying only if they harm the health of the target. Therefore, it’s safe to say that all bullying is cruelty inflicted on targets. Cruelty comes in the form of one or more of the following tactics: • Deliberate actions to humiliate, intimidate, undermine, or destroy the target; or • The withholding of resources (time, information, supplies, support) necessary for the target to succeed.

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Bullying can be Hazardous to Your Health If you are a victim of bullying, seek help. You owe it to yourself and the people who love you.

They want the pain you endure from bullying to stop. Effects may include: 1. Physical health 3 Headaches and excess stress; 3 High blood pressure; 3 Weight swings; 3 Peptic ulcers; 3 Reduced immunity – more colds, etc.; and 3 Indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome.

2. Emotional/psychological health 3 Loss of sleep, fatigue; 3 Poor concentration, forgetfulness; 3 Clinical depression; 3 Suicidal thoughts; 3 Mood swings, bursts of anger; and 3 Violence against self or others.

3. Damage to social relationships 3 Co-worker isolation or resentment; 3 Wavering support from family; and 3 Abandonment by friends outside work.

4. Damage to finances 3 Sick leave depleted, switch to short-term disability; 3 Employer encourages unpaid leave under Family Medical Leave Act; and 3 Employer orders you to choose between termination versus workers’ compensation.

Workplace bullying results from 1:1 harassment after bullying is reported, and the employer responds inappropriately and inadequately by engulfing employees in chaos, and/or pitting coworkers, management, and management’s allies against the target.

As a result, in a matter of months, it’s possible that a vibrant, healthy, competent employee can be on the path to ruin – economic, personal health, and the loss of a support network. And all this is due to an employer who did not want to get involved in a “personality conflict” between two people.

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Brown Bagger EAP can Play a Key Role The EAP can play a major role in alleviating the distress of bullied individuals. EA professionals are uniquely able to work with targeted workers to restore their health and productivity, which are at the core of employee assistance.

Gaining employees’ trust depends on consistently demonstrating impartiality as well as maintaining clinical confidentiality. Programs that allow sharing of clinical information in supervisory-referred cases become tools for management.

EA professionals can lobby to stop all workplace bullying. The rationale for this strategy is twofold:  Bullying affects the fiscal bottom line by increasing turnover, hurting recruitment and retention, encouraging litigation, and imposing a host of intangible employer costs. Human Resources and work specialists may gather data that illustrate these reactions, but such information rarely surfaces at the executive level. EAPs could be the conduit for such information.  EA professionals can educate executives that an abused, injured, fearful workforce is not productive and instead is likely to undermine legitimate business interests. An additional charge of an EAP would be to rehabilitate bullies through psychological testing and emotional intelligence coaching, along with strengthening their commitment to the organization (rather than their personal interests).

Summary EA professionals are uniquely positioned to educate work organizations about workplace bullying, while maintaining their commitment to helping employees. Workplace health advocacy is an important niche offered by EA professionals. It’s a need that’s becoming more important than ever.

Source: The Workplace Bullying Institute, founded by Dr. Ruth Namie and Dr. Gary Namie on New Year’s Day 1998 as the “Campaign Against Workplace Bullying.” Ruth has a doctorate in clinical psychology and had personal experience with bullying.

Gary is a veteran organizational consultant, management professor, and researcher with a PhD in social psychology. For more information, visit www.workplacebullying.org. Editor’s note: Does workplace bullying contribute to violence? See the article on page 4 in this month’s Employee Assistance Report.

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Brown Bagger H A N D O U T Web Watch on Bullying Who is Supervising the Supervisor? In this book, author Morley Wilson tackles the issue of workplace abuse, which fearful employees have hidden for decades. Who is Supervising the Supervisor? discusses one woman’s horrific experiences with workplace abuse and how innocent employees can recognize unfair treatment and fight back.

1570715343. The authors describe exactly and completely what the targeted person needs to do when attacked by a workplace tyrant. It is full of strong truths about cruelty at work and what to do about it. The Bully at Work is considered the definitive book for the anti-bullying movement in the U.S.

The Workplace Bullying Institute was founded by Drs. Ruth and Gary Namie. It is a source of research, education, and advocacy to end psychological violence at work. It also includes the complete results of the WBI-Zogby Survey. Sections include “help for targets,” “adverse health impact,” “coaching by Dr. Namie” and “bullying in-depth.”

The institute is also the catalyst for the North American movement for legal reform by providing technical assistance for anti-bullying legislation in various states. Visit www.workplacebullying.org.

The Work Doctor® is a specialty consulting firm that provides bullying solutions for employers.

Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie are the principals.

What are the costs of bullying? What are the solutions? This site – at www.workdoctor.com – answers questions like these, and more.

The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity On the Job by Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie, Sourcebooks, ISBN:

Stamping Out Workplace Bullies has numerous resources for dealing with this workplace problem.

They include: tips for bullied employees, advice on how vigilance stops violence and lawsuits, and links to legislation in all 13 states that have considered anti-bullying legislation.

Visit www.workforce.com.

You Know You’re Being Bullied When …

(Experiences at work) 5 You attempt the impossible task of doing a new job without training or time to learn new skills, but that work is never good enough for the boss.

5 Human Resources inform you that your harassment isn’t illegal, that you have to “work it out between yourselves.”

5 You firmly confront your tormentor to stop the abusive conduct, but you are accused of harassment instead.

5 You are shocked when accused of incompetence despite a history of excellence, typically by someone who cannot do your job.

5 Your request to transfer to another position under another boss is mysteriously denied.

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(Experiences outside work) 5 Your frustrated family demands that you stop obsessing about work.

5 Your doctor asks what could be causing your recent health problems, and suggests that you change jobs.

5 You feel too ashamed of being controlled by another person at work to tell your spouse or partner.

5 Favorite activities and fun with family are no longer appealing.

Source: Workplace Bullying Institute.

September 2008