How to Prevent and Respond to Bullying at Work
Session Objectives Welcome. Bullying is something many of us may have experienced as kids—from one side or the other, either as the bully or the one being bullied. But when we become adults, we expect that kind of behavior to remain behind in childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately, that may not always be the case. Bullies often remain bullies into adulthood and continue to prey on those they feel they can intimidate and push around. It should come as no surprise, then, that bullying is sometimes a problem in the workplace. In fact, in some cases, it is a serious problem with serious negative consequences for individuals, the work environment, and an organization’s productivity and success. Today, we’re going to talk about bullying in the workplace. We’ll discuss why it’s a problem and what you can do about it, whether you’re the one being bullied or whether you are aware of coworkers who are being bullied. Be sure to ask your supervisor or trainer if you do not understand any of the information presented in the program. The main objective of this session is to help you understand bullying at work so that you can help prevent it and respond effectively to it if it occurs. By the time the session is over, you should be able to: Understand why workplace bullying is a problem; Recognize bullying when it occurs in the workplace; Understand what motivates bullying; Identify common characteristics of bullies; Take steps to help prevent bullying at work; and Know what to do if you are bullied or witness bullying.
Knowledge Check 1 Before we begin the session, let’s take a few minutes to see how much you already know about bullying at work. When you’re ready to begin, select NEXT. Select True or False, then SUBMIT. Only 10 percent of the American workforce has had any experience with bullying at work. o True o False If you are being bullied, you should report it.
1|P a g e o True o False Bullies always operate alone. o True o False If you witness bullying, you should try to ignore it and continue working. o True o False You should treat others with respect but not expect to be treated respectfully. o True o False
What is Workplace Let’s begin by explaining what we mean when we use the term Bullying? “workplace bullying.” Select the forward and backward arrows to learn more. Workplace Bullying Institute: The Workplace Bullying Institute defines workplace bullying as “Repeated mistreatment: sabotage by others that prevented work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation, and humiliation.” National Institutes of Health: The National Institutes of Health says workplace bullying is “The deliberate, repeated, hurtful verbal mistreatment of a person, the target, by a cruel perpetrator.” Washington State Department of Labor and Industry: According to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry, workplace bullying is “Repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the health or safety of the employee(s). Workplace bullying often involves an abuse or misuse of power. Bullying behavior creates feelings of defenselessness and injustice in the target and undermines an individual’s right to dignity at work.” Canadian Centre for Occupational Safety and Health: The Canadian Centre for Occupational Safety and Health says “Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could ‘mentally’ hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behavior that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade, or humiliate a
2|P a g e particular person or group of people. It has also been described as the assertion of power through aggression.” The Australian Occupational Health, Safety, and Welfare Act: The Australian Occupational Health, Safety, and Welfare Act defines workplace bullying as “Any behavior that is repeated, systematic, and directed towards an employee or group of employees that a reasonable person, having regard to the circumstances, would expect to victimize, humiliate, undermine, or threaten and which creates a risk to health and safety. ‘Repeated’ refers to the persistent or ongoing nature of the behavior and can refer to a range of different types of behavior over time. ‘Systematic’ refers to having, showing, or involving a method or plan. ‘Risk to health and safety’ includes the risk to the emotional, mental, or physical health of the person(s) in the workplace.” To learn more, select the associated document from Attachments.
Why This Course Is A survey by the nonprofit Workplace Bullying Institute indicates that Important bullying is a widespread issue in the workplace involving as many as half the American workforce in one way or another. Here are some of the highlights from the survey: 35% of workers have experienced bullying firsthand; 15% witnessed bullying; 62% of bullies are men; 68% of bullying is same-gender harassment; Women bullies target women in 80% of cases; and Bullying is 4 times more common than illegal sexual or racial harassment.
Why This Course Is According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health: Important (cont.) 24.5% of the companies it surveyed reported that some degree of bullying had occurred there during the preceding year. Statistics indicate that 39.2% of bullying cases involved an employee as the aggressor, 24.5% involved a customer, and 14.7% involved a supervisor. 55% of bullying cases involved an employee as the target, 10.5% the customer, and 7.7% the supervisor. And remember, bullying can occur in any type of workplace—industrial, construction sites, offices, healthcare facilities, and professional settings.
3|P a g e Reasons for Bullying There are a variety of reasons a person may bully another person in the workplace. Select each tab to learn more. Power: Bullies often use a position of power or physical dominance over other people to intimidate and control them. Bullying is, therefore, often dependent on the perceived power of the bully over the victim. Self-Esteem: Bullies may put down others to boost their own self-esteem and confidence to help deal with personal feelings of inadequacy. Diversity: An individual or group may become the focus of workplace bullying because others perceive them as being different. Perceived Threat: Some people bully others because the other person is perceived as a threat to them personally or a threat to their position within the workplace. Organizational Culture: If management condones a negative culture in which inappropriate behaviors and attitudes are encouraged—or at least, not actively discouraged—bullying can be seen as an acceptable behavior by the majority of people in the workplace. Personal Inventory: If you are one of the majority of American workers who has had some experience with workplace bullying, take a moment now to analyze your experience. To learn more, select the associated document from Attachments.
Knowledge Check 2 Now let’s see if you can identify whether each of the following scenarios is an example of workplace bullying. When you’re ready to begin, select NEXT. Select the correct option, then SUBMIT. An employee uses his physical size and anger to routinely intimidate coworkers—is this bullying? o Yes o No An employee is always undermining a coworker and deliberately trying to sabotage his work—is this bullying? o Yes o No An employee spreads rumors and malicious gossip about a coworker—is this bullying? o Yes
4|P a g e o No A supervisor frequently sets unrealistic deadlines or assigns extraordinarily heavy workloads for one employee and then criticizes the worker when he or she fails to achieve the goal—is this bullying? o Yes o No An employee deliberately withholds vital information about a project from a coworker so that the coworker will fail and look bad to the supervisor—is this bullying? o Yes o No
Negative Effects of Bullying can have many negative effects on the employee being bullied, Bullying on including both psychological and physical health problems. Individuals Select each tab to learn more. Stress and Anxiety: Targets of workplace bullying usually experience high levels of stress and anxiety, and some may even eventually exhibit symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Depression: Depression is also common among people who are bullied at work. Blood Pressure/Heart Disease: Long-term physical effects of workplace bullying include increased incidents of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Impaired Immune System: Constant bullying can affect employees’ immune system, making them more likely to catch colds, flu, and other infections. Reduced Self-Esteem: Targets of workplace bullying often suffer from reduced self-esteem and self-confidence as a result of constantly being put down and set up for failure. Aches and Pains: A person who is subjected to bullying at work may develop body aches and pains, including headaches, from the constant stress and tension of working in such a negative, hostile environment.
Negative Effects of Here are some more negative effects of being bullied. Bullying on Select each tab to learn more. Individuals (cont.) Sleep and Digestive Disorders: Bullying targets often develop sleep and digestive disorders as a result of stress.
5|P a g e Destructive Relationship: Workplace bullying usually has a destructive impact on an individual’s work relationships. Bullying may make it hard for the individual to trust anyone, even those who have nothing to do with the bullying. Inability to Concentrate: Bullying targets often have trouble concentrating on work, which often results in reduced productivity and declining performance. Family Tension: Targets of workplace bullying may take the effects home with them, and this can affect their family life and relationships. Common Targets: Targets of workplace bullying often share common characteristics. To learn more, select the associated document from Attachments.
Negative Effects of Bullying in the workplace can have drastic and widespread consequences Workplace Bullying: for an organization. Workplace bullying can ruin morale and destroy Organization company culture. The time and money that an organization invests in providing a positive environment is undermined by bullies. Workplace bullying can—and frequently does—lead to: Decreased productivity; Increased absenteeism; Low morale; Increased turnover; Greater risks of accidents and injuries; Decline in customer service; and Higher costs of doing business and decline in profitability.
Knowledge Check 3 Let’s take a moment to see if you understand why bullies act the way they do. When you’re ready to begin, select NEXT. Select the correct options, then SUBMIT. From the list below, select behaviors that are motivators for bullying, then Submit. o Bullies enjoy using their position of authority to dominate other workers o Bullies try to boost their lagging self-esteem and confidence o Bullies blame others for their mistakes and take credit for other
6|P a g e people’s successes o Bullies downplay the accomplishments of others and overestimate their own accomplishments o Bullies are inconsistent in enforcing rules and use threats, anger, and humiliation to maintain power o Bullies view a target as a potential threat on the job o Bullies use social isolation or exclusion to dominate more easily o Bullies see a target as being different or new in some way and thus open to attack
The Bully's "Pack" Bullying sometimes takes the form of group action. The bully is the leader of the pack. And like a wolf pack, it singles out people it believes are the least likely to fight back, and then it goes after them. The bully gathers a group of supporters who may be like-minded, easily influenced, intimidated, or don’t want to be targeted themselves. This group acts like a wolf pack and goes after likely targets. They focus on individuals they think will be least likely to fight back. This group action, often called “mobbing,” can be subtle, using rumors and gossip to bring down their victim, or it can be overt, using threats and physical intimidation. A group of bullies can do even more damage than a single bully acting alone. They gain strength and power from one another and encourage one another to bolder and bolder action
Knowledge Check 4 Now let’s test your knowledge of the information presented so far. When you're ready to begin, select NEXT. Select the correct option, then SUBMIT. Most cases of bullying at work involve ______as the bullies. o Employees o Managers People are often targeted by bullies at work because they are perceived as being ______. o The same o Different Bullying can have a substantial impact on the workplace by causing a(n)
7|P a g e ______in productivity and morale. o Increase o Decrease Bullies often use social ______so that they can dominate targets more easily. o Inclusion o Exclusion Bullies often use a position of power or ______dominance over their targets to try to control them. o Physical o Mental
Review Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far. For example, do you understand what we’ve said about: What bullying at work is? Why it is a problem? Reasons for bullying? Effects of workplace bullying? Bullies and their packs? It’s important to understand all this information so that you can understand why bullying at work is a problem and recognize bullying when it occurs. If you need to take time to go back and review anything before we move on, now is a good time to do that.
What the Our workplace is firmly opposed to bullying or any other offensive and Organization Does to unacceptable workplace behavior on the part of any employee at any Prevent Bullying level in the organization. We take many steps to prevent workplace bullying, which may include: Maintaining a policy that prohibits any form of bullying; Training employees about workplace bullying, how to recognize it, how to prevent it, and what to do about it if it occurs; Establishing a complaint system to which any employee who believes he or she is being bullied can turn for assistance; Ensuring prompt, impartial, and thorough investigations of all complaints; Enforcing the workplace policy against bullying and appropriately
8|P a g e disciplining bullies; and Counseling employees who are bullied and bullies, when appropriate, to help restore respectful, professional relationships.
What You Can Do to Everyone needs to participate to help create a workplace environment Prevent Bullying that discourages bullying. Select each tab to learn more about what you can do to prevent bullying on the job. Respect: Treat everyone at work with respect, and encourage coworkers to do the same. Observe Policies: Familiarize yourself with the organization’s policy against bullying. To learn more, select the associated document from Attachments. Learn Conflict Resolution: Learn conflict resolution techniques, and use them when necessary to deal effectively with difficult people, including bullies. Take a Stand: Take a public stand against bullying, and let everyone know you are opposed to this kind of inappropriate and disrespectful behavior. Never ignore bullying, whether you are the target or you witness a coworker’s bullying. Report: Report all incidents of bullying, and encourage coworkers to do the same. Investigate: Cooperate with investigations into workplace bullying, and describe what you know truthfully.
Why Bullying May Go One of the biggest problems in preventing workplace bullying is that it Unreported often goes unreported. Targets of bullying may be embarrassed about admitting that they are being bullied. As adults, they may feel that people will laugh at them and think that they are not strong-willed. People may even think that it’s somehow their fault that they are being bullied. Bullying damages a person’s self-esteem and self-confidence. This means that a bullying target may think that he or she deserves this kind of treatment. As a result, targets may not feel that anyone will listen to their complaint or care about the way they are being treated. Another key factor in failure to report bullying is fear. The target fears the bully will retaliate if he or she complains. And given the
9|P a g e chance, many bullies probably would. In addition, bullying targets are often socially isolated and excluded by bullies from the rest of the work group. As a result, targets may feel that they would find little support among coworkers. Targets may believe that it would be useless to complain because no one would back them up or speak up on their behalf.
What to Do if You Are What should you do if preventive measures fail, and you are bullied at Bullied work? Select each tab to learn more. You Are Not the Problem: Be sure you understand that you are not the problem. You are not doing anything to deserve being treated this way. It is the bully who is the problem. It is the bully who is doing something wrong. Speak Up: Speak to the bully, firmly declare that this behavior is unacceptable, and ask the person to stop acting toward you in this manner. If it would make you feel more comfortable, ask a supportive coworker or an HR representative to be with you when you do this. Although talking to the bully might not achieve the results you wish, it will be good for your morale, and it will put the bully on notice that you will not tolerate being treated disrespectfully. Keep a Record: If the bullying continues, keep a written record of all incidents, including date, time, and a detailed account of exactly what was said and done. Also note the name of anyone who witnessed the incident. Keep Evidence: If you have received any threatening, rude, or intimidating letters, notes, e-mails, or other written communications from a bully, be sure to keep them in a safe place. File a Complaint: File a complaint with the person named in the organization’s antibullying policy to initiate the complaint procedure. Don’t wait. Report the problem as soon as a pattern of bullying becomes evident. Unless it is your supervisor who is doing the bullying, you can also report the problem to your supervisor. Don't Retaliate: Do not try to retaliate against a bully or get into a fight or argument with this person. This could damage your case against the bully and could get you in trouble. Report the problem, and let management deal with the bully.
What to Do if You What should you do if you witness a coworker being bullied? Witness Bullying First and foremost, offer the person being bullied your support and
10|P a g e assistance. Remind the person that it is not his or her fault. It’s the bully’s fault. Speak out against bullying. If you feel comfortable enough to do so, talk directly to the bully. State clearly that you find the behavior unacceptable and disrespectful. However, if you feel threatened yourself by the bully or the bully’s pack, you may wish to skip this step and instead go to a manager or a human resources representative. Encourage coworkers to join you in taking a firm stand against bullying at work. Report incidents of bullying to the individual in the organization designated by the workplace bullying policy to take complaints. Describe what you saw and heard. Don’t retaliate personally against the bully. Let the organization take care of the problem.
Help Create a In a respectful, productive workplace, all employees are encouraged to Respectful perform at their best and make a contribution to the success of the Workplace organization. Select the forward and backward arrows to learn more. Treat all with respect & dignity: Treat all people in the workplace with respect and dignity, and insist on being treated respectfully and professionally by coworkers and superiors. Listen to others: Listen to other people and value their ideas, suggestions, and opinions. Bullying is not teasing: Do not accept bullying as teasing, “just having fun,” acceptable hazing, or normal behavior. Bullying is cruel, humiliating, and abusive behavior that is about trying to control and dominate others. Speak out: Speak out when you feel a coworker is being disrespectful to you or a coworker. Accept differences: Accept differences among coworkers and think inclusive, not exclusive, in all your work relationships. Build trust: Build trust and cooperation into all your relationships on the job—with coworkers, superiors, customers, and anyone else you deal with. Report bullying: Report bullying as soon as a pattern of behavior develops. Also report any other unacceptable workplace behavior, such as harassment and discrimination. List your personal strategies: To learn more, select the associated
11|P a g e document from Attachments.
What Have You Now it’s time to review what you have learned in the previous slides. Do Learned? you understand what we’ve said about: What the organization does to prevent bullying? What you can do to prevent bullying at work? Why bullying may go unreported? What to do if you are bullied? What to do if you witness bullying at work? How you can help create a respectful workplace? It’s important to understand all this information so that you can help prevent bullying and respond effectively in the event of bullying. If you need to take some time to go back and review anything that isn’t perfectly clear, now is a good time to do that, before we move on to the key points to remember.
Knowledge Check 5 Now it’s time to test your knowledge of the information presented in this program. When you’re ready to begin, select NEXT. Select True or False, then SUBMIT. Bullying at work is the deliberate, repeated, and hurtful mistreatment of a coworker or subordinate, with the purpose of undermining that person’s sense of competence. o True o False The best strategy for handling bullies is to avoid them. o True o False Bullying only occurs in industrial settings. o True o False Bullying is a male behavior; women don’t bully. o True o False
12|P a g e Bullies may put down others to boost their own self-esteem and confidence to help deal with personal feelings of inadequacy. o True o False If you are bullied, you should deal with the bully on your own. o True o False One effective way to prevent workplace bullying is to take a stand against it and speak out if you are bullied or witness bullying. o True o False One reason bullying may go unreported is because people sometimes think they must be doing something to deserve such treatment, and therefore they accept it. o True o False If you witness an incident of bullying, it’s best to ignore it, or the bully might come after you. o True o False The best way to deal with a bully is to get into a confrontation with him or her. o True o False
Key Points to Here are the main points to remember about this training session on Remember bullying at work: Bullying is unacceptable and abusive behavior. Bullying at work hurts everyone. Take a stand and speak out against bullying. Report all incidents. Respect others, and insist on respectful treatment in return. This concludes the How to Prevent and Respond to Bullying at Work training program.
13|P a g e Please be sure to go back and review any information that is not completely clear. If you still have questions, ask your supervisor or trainer.
Final Quiz
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