Workplace Bullying is an epidemic gone unchecked!

1. You’re Invited!
Into the
Office MVP’s Lounge
(where we can talk freely beyond basic office chat)
Thursday December 18th, 2014
(6-7PM EST / 5-6PM CST / 3-4PM PST)
“Removing the Elephant in the Room”
Workplace Bullying WHERE : Google Hangout

2. Melissa Nourigat, Hostess, Office MVPs
& LinkedIn Administrative Assistant
Office Professionals group
Bonnie Low-Kramen, Renowned
Speaker, Author and
Anti-Workplace Bullying Advocate
Chip Lutz, Expert Leadership
Training Coach and Author

3.  The Definition of Bullying:
 “Bullying is the use of force, threat, or
coercion to abuse, intimidate, or
aggressively dominate others. The
behavior is often repeated and habitual.
One essential prerequisite is the
perception, by the bully or by others, of
an imbalance of social or physical
power. Behaviors used to assert such
domination can include verbal
harassment or threat, physical assault or
coercion, and such acts may be
directed repeatedly towards particular
targets.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying
“Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting
behavior or unfair action directed at another individual
causing the recipient to feel threatened, abused, humiliated,
or vulnerable.
These health-harming behaviors can include verbal, physical
or sexual abuse and cause work interference and
undermines the individual’s rights to dignity at work.”
Bonnie Low-Kramen
“Bullies were likely bullies as children and brought the
problem to work.” Melissa Nourigat
“Robert W. Fuller has analyzed bullying in the context
of rankism.” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/big-bad-bully
Bullying affects all of us

4. https://www.charitysub.org/bullying
Intimidation

5. • Yelling
• Uses profanity
• Name-calling
• Public humiliation
• Threats
• “Nasty-gram” emails
• Shows favoritism
• Withholds information
• Ostracizes others
• Sabotages work
PROFILE: Bully Behaviors

7. “Question: Which personal style best describes the targeted person?”
Personality traits, results are clear. A majority of observers believe individuals targeted possess positive
attributes.
That is, the same observers reporting, believe that targets are mostly incapable of defending themselves
against bullying assaults. They believe targets to be kind, cooperative and agreeable. “Perhaps these same
traits render the guileless person vulnerable to unpredictable attacks. This Survey does not provide a way to
draw the causal link between the traits and targets’ ability to defend themselves.
It is noteworthy that only 6% of targets are considered abusers themselves.”
Download the About Bullied Targets mini-Report

8. Female bullying
has increased with
more woman
assuming
advanced
management
levels and equality
Women: use tactics like: excluding
a person within the group; passive
aggressive behavior; withdrawing
assistance if demands are not met;
and completely ignoring someone.Peggy Klaus, an
executive coach in
Berkeley, Calif., has
called it “the pink
elephant” in the room.
PEER
ABUSE
“Catty”
• The “Bully”: A Quick Sketch
Gossip |Rumors |Teasing
Taunting |Exclusion
Belittling |Humiliation
Betrayal| Sabotage
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/business/10women.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Women:

9. M
E
N
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/big-bad-bully
Brute Force
Power
Control
Intimidation
Size/ Stature
Relentless
Gangs
Mobs
Dominance may be more valued; competition more
accepted.
Aggression
• Most bullies are physically strong and
specifically seek out people who are
ill-equipped to fight back.
Shopping for victims
Less discriminate
male ♂ and female ♀
• The “Bully”: A Quick Sketch
SOCIAL
BLINDNESS

10. “The Workplace Bullying Institute says
that 37 percent of workers have been
bullied. Yet many employers ignore the
problem, which hits the bottom line in
turnover, health care and productivity
costs, the institute says. Litigation is rare,
the institute says, because there is no
directly applicable law to cite and the
costs are high.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/b
usiness/10women.html?pagewanted=al
l&_r=1&
NY
TIMES
• The Cost of Bullying:
The price we are paying;
• Stress-Related Illnesses
• Eating disorders
• Excessive smoking
• Alcoholism
• Drug Abuse
• Depression
• Nervous Breakdowns
69% of all bullies are men
and 57% of the targets of
bullying are women.

11.  Legislation & Advocacy in the US and Abroad:
Bullying is Not Yet Illegal
WHAT YOU CAN DO
GET
INVOLVED

12.  Personal experiences: Bonnie & Chip Share
 Expert Advice Dealing with abusive behaviors:

13. What about Outside the United States?
“The U.S. is the last of the western democracies to not have a law forbidding
bullying-like conduct in the workplace. Scandinavian nations have explicit anti-
bullying laws (since 1994). Many of the EU nations have substantially more legal
employee protections, which compel employers to prevent or correct bullying.
Britain, the home of the term "workplace bullying," has broader anti-harassment
laws than the U.S. to cover bullying. Ireland has a strong health and safety code
(2005) to address bullying.
Canada's first provincial law was enacted in 2004, the second in 2007, another in
2010, and the occupational health code for federal employees in 2008.
Read more about the international movement.”
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/problem.php

14. RESOURCES
http://www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/problem/being-bullied/
http://www.workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/WBI-2014-US-Survey.pdf
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/workplace-bullying.html
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org
http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html
http://www.slideshare.net/bonnielowkramen/the-elephant-in-the-room-workplace-bullying
http://www.amazon.com/Taming-The-Abrasive-Manager-Unnecessary/dp/0787988375
http://www.thewomenscenter.org/content.asp?contentid=535
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/business/10women.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

15. CREDITS:
Chip Lutz: The Unconventional Leader
http://www.unconventionalleader.com/
Bonnie Low-Kramen: Be the Ultimate Assistant
http://www.bonnielowkramen.com/
Emerging Leader Academy: Sign Up Today for 2015 session!
https://officemvps.com/emerging-leader-academy-advanced-training-
webinar-series/
Please send us your feedback about the session and any future topics
you would like covered officemvps@gmail.com

16. Closing Thoughts:
What I find interesting, is that in business employees are
instructed & trained to report all matters pertaining to
security risks, isn’t a bully a security risk? Are managers
and those around the bully in violation of mandatory
reporting of threats?