Reference no: EM132289986

While we often associate the term bullying with childhood behaviors, considerable research suggests that these behaviors can extend into the workplace. In fact, 28 percent of workers surveyed by CareerBuilder said that they had been bullied at work. The impact of bullying is real—19 percent of these workers left their jobs as a result of the bullying. In addition, workplace bullying has been associated with a number of counterproductive attitudes and behaviors such as disengagement, job dissatisfaction, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, and psychological distress. Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder, goes on to explain, “One of the most surprising takeaways from the study was that bullying impacts workers of all backgrounds, regardless of race, education, income, and levels of authority within the organization. Many of the workers who have experienced this don’t confront the bully or elect not to report the incidents, which can prolong a negative work experience that leads some to leave their jobs.” You might wonder exactly what bullying looks like in the workplace. It can take many forms, but the most common include being falsely accused of mistakes, constant criticism, gossip, belittling comments, purposeful exclusion from projects or meetings, and even physical intimidation. Bullying is generally a long-term, persistent pattern of behavior intended to cause humiliation, offense, or distress. Bullies tended to be older than the worker and were most commonly their boss or someone else above them in the organization. Interestingly, workers in governmental organizations reported being bullied nearly twice as often as those in corporate settings. Bullying appears to disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, as well as the disabled. It appears that bullying is slightly less common when a worker has a higher level of education or higher pay, although workers at all levels were generally equally likely to have been bullied at some point in their careers. In light of these statistics, there’s a very real chance that you may be the victim of a bully in the future. Of those surveyed, nearly half confronted their bully, but this was successful in remedying the situation only about half the time. Unfortunately, contacting the HR department appears to be even less effective, with no action taken 58 percent of the time. Should you find yourself in this situation, it is important to document incidents of bullying and keep track of what happened and who was present. It may be a good idea to start by speaking directly with the bully—many times a bully may not understand the effects of their actions. Finally, it’s important to focus on the resolution, rather than dwelling on what has already happened.

Case Questions

1. What do you think causes bullying in the workplace?

2. As an HR manager, what policies might you implement to reduce or eliminate bullying?

3. Are there ever any circumstances where bullying is appropriate?