1.
Bullying in the Workplace
Working together towards
Workplace Safety
Dr. Janet Parker, B.S., M.S., D.V.M.

2.
"There's only one way of dealing with stress - that's
to identify the cause and then work to reduce or
eliminate that cause. I believe bullying is the
main, but least recognized, cause of stress in the
workplace today.“
Tim Field, bullyonline

3.
Employers Embrace Change
• New awareness of the issues, scale, complexity
and impact
• New resources available
• Employers willing to plan and act
• New skills necessary to carry the action through
effectively
• Health and Safety Issues - Good practice is
good civil sense

4.
Goal
• To encourage employee representatives and employers
to build cultures in which respect for individuals is
regarded as an essential part of the conduct of all
those who work in the organization.
• To increase awareness and knowledge of bullying in
the workplace, and encourage the development of
employment practices that enhance worker safety and
prevent bullying in the workplace.

5.
Structure
• Definitions of bullying
• Employers Obligation
• Typology of violence – Physical & Psychological
• Forms of bullying
• Statistics & Direct Costs
• The impact on individuals and organizations
• Barriers to Prevention & What can we do?
• The law
• Summary

6.
Definition: Workplace Bullying
• Repeated, Persistent
• Unreasonable, Inappropriate
• Directed at a target, often an individual
• Verbal or Physical
• About power – positional, resources, physical
• Offensive, Abusive, Intimidating, Malicious, Insulting
• Target‟s loss of self confidence, Threatened, Upset,
Humiliated, Vulnerable

7.
Definition : Workplace Bullying
• Bullying is:
• Psychological Violence
• Persistent , unwelcome, intrusive behavior of one or
more individuals whose actions prevent others from
fulfilling their duties
• Hierarchical and can be traced to the top or near the
top
• Denial is the most common strategy employed by
toxic managements

8.
Definition
Is best understood through the bully's
behaviours - acts of commission (hostile
verbal, nonverbal communication and interfering
actions) and omission (the withholding of
resources - time, information, training, support,
equipment - that guarantee failure) - which are
all driven by the bully's need to control the
Target.
The US and Canadian Workplace Bullying and Trauma Unit

9.
Not Good Management
Bullying is not ‘tough’ management; it is
illegitimate behaviour, unrelated to
accomplishing productive work, so outrageous
as to be the antitheses of what a good
employer values and encourages.
The US and Canadian Workplace Bullying and Trauma Unit

10.
Employers Obligation
• Every employee has a right to a work in an
environment free from workplace violence and
bullying.
• Employers must take reasonable action to
prevent violence and bullying and, whenever
they become aware of such behavior, put a
stop to it.

11.
7 Key Elements of a Good Employer
1 Leadership, Accountability and Culture
2 Recruitment, Selection and Induction
3 Employee Development, Promotion and Exit
4 Flexibility and Work Design
5 Renumeration, Recognition and
Conditions
6 Harassment and Bullying Prevention
7 Safe and Healthy Environment

12.
Typology of physical violence
• I: Criminal intent 85% of all homicides
• II: Customer/client 3% of all homicides
• III: Worker-on-worker - Worker-on-worker
fatalities account for approximately 7% of all
workplace homicides.
• IV: Personal relationship - 5% of all workplace
homicides
US Bureau of Justice Statistics 2001

13.
Tactics of the Bully
• Constant humiliation or ridicule, belittling their efforts, often
in front of others.
• Excessive supervision, monitoring everything , excessively
critical about minor things.
• Constantly override the person‟s authority.
• Spread malicious rumours, ostracise and marginalise their
target.
• Remove whole areas of responsibility from the person,
reducing their job to tasks well below their skills and
capabilities.
• Set impossible objectives and deadlines
• Use terror tactics, open aggression, threats, shouting,
physical violence.

14.
Destructive Conflict and Bullying at Work – UMIST
research in 2000, Helge Hoel & Cary Cooper
• 1 in 10 workers been bullied in the last 6 months
• Varies between sectors, worst were
• Post and telecommunications – 16%
• Prison service – 16%
• Dance profession – 14%
• 12% of women and 10% of men reported as having been bullied
• 75% of bullies are managers
• However, bullying is equally likely to affect a manager as a worker
• 70% of those bullied are done so as part of a group
• For 2 out of 3 the bullying continues for more than a year
• For 2 out of 5 it goes on for more than 2 years

15.
Tim Field’s Study in UK
• 12-50% of the workforce experience bullying
• 20% of cases from the education sector,
• 12% are from healthcare
• 10% are from social services
• 6% from the voluntary / charity / not-for-profit
sector.
Tim Field 1953-2006 UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line,
with over 10,000 cases internationally & Author of Bully In Sight

16.
Direct Costs
• US $7-17 billion
– even $44 billion if stress related illness included
• 20% of employers still do not regard
stress as a health and safety issue,
instead preferring to see it as
malingering.

17.
Personally Experienced Employer
Abuse – USA
• The Bullied Target is usually the above average
worker and the Bully is usually someone who
has achieved a supervisory level where his/her
own lack of technical abilities and knowledge
can be masked by bullying behavior
• Younger workers are less likely to be bullied
than older workers.

18.
USA Statistics
• 44% of American workers have worked for a
supervisor or employer who they consider
abusive.
• Compared to workers with a high school
education or less (34%), those with some
college or a college degree (47%) are more
likely to have been a victim of abuse by
a supervisor or employer.
Chris Burt, ELA Abusive Boss Charts

19.
Effects of bullying on the individual
• Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
• 1 third to half of work related stress may be caused by
bullying at work (Cary Cooper)
• Physical effects – headaches, sweating/shaking, feeling or
being sick, inability to sleep, skin problems
• Psychological effects – anxiety, panic attacks, depression,
tearfulness, poor concentration, feeling of dread
• Behavioural effects – becoming irritable, withdrawn,
aggressive, increased consumption of tobacco/alcohol etc
• Those who witness bullying also suffer from increased stress

20.
Question?
What prevents targets of workplace
bullying coming forward and what can be
done and by whom to change this?

21.
Effects on the organization
• People working in a climate of fear and resentment do not
give their best
• Increased sick days and absence
• Increased staff turnover
• Loss of moral and decrease in performance
• Loss of production,
• Increased recruitment, retention and re-training costs
• Public exposure and threat to public image
• Civil Liability and Litigation

22.
Tim Field‟s
Estimates of UK‟s costs
• Workers who are bullied are absent for an extra 7 sickness
days per year
• 19 million days are lost to bullying annually in the UK at a
cost of £1.8 billion a year
• 25% of bullied leave their job
• Over 20% of witnesses leave their job
• Employee replacement costs in the UK total over £400
million a year

23.
Why does it happen?
“Bullies can get away with it”
• Some employers reluctant to admit it might be a problem
in their organization
• Bullied person is often unable to recognise and put a
name to the treatment they are receiving
• “It‟s just a personality clash”
• Individual incidents often seem trivial and people are
reluctant to raise them for fear of looking silly
• People are scared they will not be believed, disciplined
and even sacked
• Aggressive management is part of the organizational
culture
• No procedures for resolving problems

24.
Barriers to Prevention
• Denial, Lack of Teamwork
• Lack of Incentives or Disincentives
• Lack of Worker Empowerment
• Lack of Awareness & Policy
• Lack of Information/Lack of Reporting
• Lack of Communication/Training
• Lack of Resources

25.
Question?
Are you doing all you can to promote a
safe, healthy and fair work environment
for employees?
Have you taken all reasonable steps to
create a working environment that
discourages bullying?

26.
What can targets do about it?
• Log all incidents of bullying.
• Immediately say it’s not ok – once behaviour is established
it’s a lot more difficult
• If you cannot confront the bully, try writing a memo/email to
make it clear why you object to their behaviour.
• Keep copies of all annual appraisals and
letters/memos/emails relating to your ability to do the job.
• Find out if your employer has a policy on harassment or
unacceptable behaviour, which may cover bullying.
• Targets should have an independent witness with them at
all meetings, official or unofficial.

27.
What can organizations do?
• Make bullying a dismissal offence
• Have a clear policy and procedure (formal and informal) to
deal with cases
• Protect everyone (complainant and accused)
• Be seen to be fair – often the target gets moved
• Be consistent
• Train employees to recognise, deflate, deflect and avoid the
conflict escalating
• Have a policy - Communicate it. Use it. Monitor it. Review it

28.
DTI/ Amicus study in UK
The Funders
• Dept of Trade and Industry (DTI)
• Amicus (UK largest private sector Union)
The Task – Research and Training to
tackle bullying and harassment at work
Mandy Telford - Amicus

29.
Findings:
Incidence
• No sig diff on age, gender, hierarchical grade
• Sector difference slight (but expectations?)
• Few people singled out (i.e. several bullied)
• In UK alleged bullies often = boss
Effect
• 25% targets and 20% witnesses leave job
• ++ Stress
• Anxiety & depression (scared)
Mandy Telford, Amicus

30.
Interventions:
The Event Hierarchy: Initial ideas
Legal redress Failure zone
Formal Complaints
Intervention
Informal Complaints Zone
Informal Enquiries
Poor Behaviour Prevention
Zone
Mandy Telford, Amicus

31.
Stage progression - Inputs
INPUTS OBLIVIOUS FRAGMENTED NEAR STRATEGIC
Mindset on Accepted Concern, but Active concern Strategic with
bullying and within culture overall passive but accept monitoring/
harassment thus no approach weaknesses in change.
problem own system Proactive.
Whose No Problem Individuals Individuals Organization
problem?
Tolerance Complete – High, ‘people Exceptions Zero tolerance, no
part of job can complain’ allowed (low) exceptions
Management Task orient. Task orient. Task + people High people +
selection & No real Training unlikely. orient some task. Mentoring
training training. training, for managers.
mentoring
Managers Achievement Achievement of People Mgt Tasks achieved
promoted on of task task included but not through people.
too important.
Mandy Telford, Amicus

32.
Stage progression – Outputs
OUTPUTS OBLIVIOUS FRAGMENTED NEAR STRATEGIC
Incidence High, maybe High, maybe Medium Low
measured measured
ROI None None ↓sickness exit. Costs avoided
OK reputation + retention,
+ reputation
Legal Few major Cases Cases Few cases; org
cases, org often scattered, org scattered; org rarely found at
found at fault. often found at sometimes fault.
fault. found at fault.
Employee exit High High Reducing Low
Employee LT High High Reducing Low
sickness
Early High High Reducing Low
retirements
Mandy Telford, Amicus

33.
Response Model – Mandy Telford, Amicus
Individual support

34.
Question?
To what extent do you think the following
quote is correct?
„When workplace bullying is happening in
an organization, it is because leadership
and management of the organisation is
allowing it to happen‟
Andrea Needham, Workplace Bullying, the Costly Business Secret

35.
Risk management
Policy - that states clearly intolerance of workplace
bullying
Code of conduct - that defines acceptable and
unacceptable behaviours (House Rules)
Management philosophy and practice - that aligns with
code of conduct
Safe, fair and speedy procedure - to deal with
complaints
Effective disciplinary procedure – for those found to be
bullies
Awareness program - that ensures knowledge of policy
and how to address bullying if targeted
Monitoring the workplace

36.
The Law
• Anti-bullying legislation introduced in 13 States.
• Bullying is indeed a health and safety issue.
• Employers have a clear legal duty to ensure, so far as
reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of
their workers.
• There are internationally accepted and published
guidance for employers on preventing stress at work
which makes it clear that bullying can be a cause of
stress and that preventative measures must include
action to eliminate bullying where it exists.

37.
The Law
• There is no employment law that deals specifically with bullying
at work. However, the law covers discrimination and
harassment based on the following -
• sex
• race, colour, nationality, ethnic/national origin
• sexual orientation
• gender reassignment
• religion or belief
• disability
• union membership
• age

38.
THE ANTI-BULLYING
HEALTHY WORKPLACE BILL
NEW JERSEY Active CALFORNIA
NEW YORK Active OREGON
VERMONT Active OKLAHOMA
WASHINGTON Active CALIFORNIA
CONNECTICUT MASSACHUSETTS
HAWAII MISSOURI
KANSAS - House Bill HB 2990 (complete HWB)
Dr. Gary Namie, Workplace Bullying Institute

39.
Question?
Does your organization currently have a
policy in place that deals with bullying?
Should the workplace bullying and
harassment policy be two separate
policies?

40.
Murphy v IRS
United States Court of Appeals
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
Maritsa Murphy brought this suit to recover income
taxes she paid on the compensatory damages for
emotional distress and loss of reputation she was
awarded in an administrative action she brought
against her former employer.

41.
Anti-Bullying Law
Quebec (Canada)
• Since June 1, 2004, the anti-bullying law has
been enforced by the Labour Standards Law in
Quebec (Canada).
• This is the first North American Law against this
form of workplace violence.
• Other countries have similar laws:
• Belgium, France, Sweden

42.
Experience in Canada
• Number of complaints (January 31, 2006)
– 4000 complaints with 150 sent to the Canadian
Labour Relations Board
• Commission of Professional Injuries
– About 30 to 40% of the decisions are favorable
• Lise Forget-Changnon v. Marché Bel-Air
(Refusal of work dangerous to mental health)

43.
Summary
• Bullying is pervasive widespread problem
• Is costly on a personal and organizational level
• Clear policies and procedures are a necessity
• Policies must be put into action
• Working in partnership, solutions can be found
• Training all supervisory staff in proper methods of
supervision
• Screening prospective workers for being a target of
bullying may prevent secondary trauma caused by the
employment search
• Hiring managers and supervisors who have not been a
workplace bully in their last employment

44.
The Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service (ACAS)
• Free online learning course to help employers
understand and prevent bullying in the
workplace.
• How to recognize and deal with bullying, as well
as harassment, provides advice on developing
clear and accessible policies.
http://www.acas.org.uk/

45.
Bullying Checklist
A Bullying Checklist for screening job applicants
to ascertain if they have been victims of Bullying
in the Workplace is available by contacting
MedicalWhistleblower@gmail.com
Materials to assist investigation and to profile the
bully are also available

46.
• The Workplace Bullying Institute (USA) is a
Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie.
http://www.bullyinginstitute.org/
• Andy Ellis, an employee advocate
http://www.workbullying.co.uk/ with a Target
Support Community and a Bullying Discussion
group.
• Noa Davenport, one of the authors of "Mobbing
- Emotional Abuse in the American Workplace
has a site at: http://www.mobbing-usa.com/ and
http://www.dnztraininginternational.com/

47.
• Whistleblowers Australia have a web-site at
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/dissent/
• Violence at the workplace is on the increase. A
site worthwhile visiting is that of Larry J Chavez,
http://www.workplace-violence.com/ and also
http://members.aol.com/HRtrainer/guide-for-
media.html
• Danger: Toxic Company, Alan M Webber, Fast
Company online magazine
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/19/toxic.html

48.
• An interesting site on work, poverty and the
environment. http://www.theworkingcentre.org/
• http://www.caitrin.mtx.net/ - Bullies Down Under,
Australia.
• "Workplace Violence Today
• http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/
• Prof. Ken Westhues of the Waterloo University:
• http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~kwesthue/mobbing.htm

49.
• "Stop The Abuse of Power!!!":
http://F.webring.com/hub?ring=stop_abuse
• The Canadian website on
mobbing: http://mobbing.ca/
• Evelyn Field’s site in
Australia: http://www.bullying.com.au/
• Matt Reider’s new site:
• http://www.workplace-violence.info/
• http://www.kickbully.com/ is a practical guide to
fighting back against workplace bullying