Time-out for Adults: Tackling Bullying in the Workplace

Children aren't the only ones affected by bullying and its negative impact on health and well-being.

Repeated mistreatment, including threats, humiliation, intimidation, work sabotage and verbal abuse by one or more adult workers is wrapped up in the definition of workplace bullying -- a phenomenon experts are now calling an "epidemic."

At the forefront of the national movement to study and address the issue of workplace bullying is Gary Namie, Ph.D., who co-founded the non-profit Workplace Bullying Institute (WPI) in 1997 with his wife Ruth. Together they have tackled the issue from all sides, including conducting regular research and training, advocating for legislation, and promoting resources for employers, targets and bystanders.

WPI research over the years has helped to document the prevalence and impacts of workplace bullying. The latest 2017 WPI workplace bullying survey provided these key findings:

• 60.4 million Americans are affected by workplace bullying
• 70% of perpetrators are men; 60% of targets are women
• 61% of bullies are bosses, the majority (63%) operate alone
• 61% of Americans are aware of abusive conduct in the workplace
• 40% of bullied targets are believed to suffer adverse health effects (a separate study links workplace bullying to suicides)
• 71% of employer reactions are harmful to targets (other WBI studies cite the majority of employers do nothing)
• 29% of targets remain silent about their experiences

With regard to health effects, a WPI poll indicated that a number of mental and physical conditions could be linked to workplace bullying, including PTSD, anxiety, sleep problems, loss of concentration, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, migraine headaches and depression.

WPI also found that two fields, in particular -- health care and education -- are most prone to bullying, with the public service industry coming in third. Namie believes that workplace bullying most effects workers who are motivated to help others.

"People entering those fields want to heal, help, teach, develop impressionable minds, and see the good in others. While focused on the work, with their backs figuratively turned to the politics and abusers in the workplace, they bring vulnerability to attack," Namie explains on his website.

He notes that he finds the prevalence of workplace bullying in education "especially galling" given the amount of attention that has been put on student bullying, adding that "adults are physically modeling the same acts they are verbally deploring."

Unfortunately, few laws exist that make workplace bullying illegal (but many are in the legislative pipeline, helped along by recent high-profile cases in the Boston Globe and other media outlets). According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, harassment and the creation of a hostile work environment only becomes illegal if the behavior is based on "race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information."

So in the meantime, if you've been targeted by a bully in the workplace what can you do? WBI offers these three steps as advice (but with caution):

1. Legitimize yourself. Says WPI, "The bully decides how to target and how, when, and where to harm people. You did not invite, nor want, the systematic campaign of psychological assaults and interference with your work."

2. Take time off and figure out next steps. WPI suggests sick leave or short-term disability during which further options, such as legal action, can be considered "with a clear head." Counseling is also recommended during this time, as well as launching a search for a new position.

3. Consider exposing the bully (an admittedly risky step). WBI notes, "While targets lose their job - involuntarily or by choice for their health's sake - in 77.7% of cases, it is no riskier to attempt to dislodge the bully...Remember, good employers purge bullies, most promote them." (Despite studies showing the negative impact on company productivity and employee morale.)

Similar to the "Me Too" movement, there is safety in numbers -- the more employees can ban together to report workplace bullying, the safer it is for all.

If resigning a position is the only way to escape the bullying, WPI points out that healing is often helped by bringing the experience to light vs. leaving a job "shrouded in silent shame." This advice has been frequently repeated by workplace bullying advocates and mental health providers.

For more insights on workplace bullying, check out this Oct. 11, 2019 Forbes article, or this piece on VeryWellMind.com.

You can learn more about the Healthy Workplace bill and its progress across the country here.

Namie will be spending Oct. 17-20 in Boston. During his visit, he'll be addressing advocates at Suffolk University Law School, along with professor and attorney David Yamada, who crafted the original language for the Healthy Workplace bill and has been leading the Massachusetts movement for more than 10 years. Namie will also be conducted a large training for members of National Association of Government Employees/Service Employees International Union (NAGE/SEIU).