Arthur Breese M.S., M.A.
James Calderone, EdD
Berwick Area School District

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Icebreaker
• Find the person you least know in the room
• Introduce yourself to your partner (Name, organization, your function in the organization etc.)
• Discuss a time when you have been bullied or you have witnessed an act of bullying
• What did you do?

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Session Outline
• The Phenomenon
• The Perpetrators
• Who Gets Bullied
• Why Bullying Happens
• Impact on People
• Impact on Organizations
• Solutions

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Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying defined as:
• Repeated health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the target)
• Done by one or more perpetrators
Takes one of the following forms:
• Verbal abuse
• Threatening, humiliating, or offensive behavior / actions
• Work interference sabotage – which prevents work from getting done

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Workplace Bullying
Harassment
• Illegal discrimination
• Offensive and unwelcome conduct
• Adversely affects the terms and conditions of the person ’ s employment
• Usually occurs because of the person ’ s protected class (race, gender/sex, national origin, religion, disability etc.)

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Workplace Bullying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0qKDiq1fNw

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Workplace Bullying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoCVnr0LZLQ

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Workplace Bullying
Retaliation
• Occurs after a person makes a complaint of illegal discrimination
• Becomes the subject of an adverse employment action or subjected to harassment because he/she made the complaint
• WORKPLACE BULLYING in general is not ILLEGAL

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Workplace Bullying . . .
• Is driven by the perpetrators need to control the targeted individuals
• Is initiated by bullies who choose targets, timing, place, and methods
• Escalates to involve others who side with the bully, either voluntarily through coercion
• Undermines legitimate business interests when bullies ’ personal agendas take precedence over work itself

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Adult Bullies
• Adult bullies, like their schoolyard counterparts, tend to be insecure people with poor or non-existent social skills and little empathy
• They turn this insecurity outwards, finding satisfaction in their ability to diminish the capable people around them

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Workplace Bullying is also referred to as . . .
• Psychological abuse
• Psychological harassment
• “ Status blind ” harassment
• Mobbing
• Sub-lethal, non-physical workplace violence
• Generalized workplace abuse / mistreatment

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Statistics on Workplace Bullying –
A Study of Self-Identified Targets
30%
Women
As bullies
As targets
Bullying women
Bullying men
50%
58%
80%
Men
As bullies 12%
As targets
8%
Bullying women 20%
Bullying men
42%

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Statistics on Workplace Bullying –
A Study of Self-Identified Targets
30%
Women
As bullies
As targets
Bullying women
Bullying men
50%
58%
80%
Men
As bullies 12%
As targets
8%
Bullying women 20%
Bullying men
42%

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Statistics on Workplace Bullying –
A Study of Self-Identified Targets
• 84% of targets describe themselves as college educated
• The mean work experience was
– 21.4 years in the workplace
– 6.7 years with the current employer
Small Business
11%
Non-Profit
12%
10%
Other
36%
31%
Gov’t Corporate

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Workplace Bullies
• 71% of the time bullies are of higher rank than the target
(another study identifies 605 as supervisors)
• Only 23% of the time do they bully alone
• An average of 3.5 people are enlisted to help
• Women bullies are more likely (68%) to torment more than a single target than men bullies (62%)

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Workplace Bullying Over Time
• Respondents in two surveys indicated that they endured bullying for 18.6 months and
16.5 months
• Chronic abuse over two years in duration show even deeper and more far-ranging effects

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Experiences Outside of Work –
You are Probably Bullied When …
• You throw up the night before work
• Everyone is fed up with you obsessing about work at home
• Your doctor tells you to change jobs because of blood pressure and health problems

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Tactics Used by Workplace Bullies
1.
Blame for “ errors ”
2.
Unreasonable job demands
3.
Criticism of ability
4.
Inconsistent compliance with rules
5.
Threaten job loss
6.
Insults and put-downs
7.
Discounting / Denial of accomplishments
8.
Yelling, screaming
9.
Exclusion, “ icing out ”
10. Stealing credit

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The Screaming Mimi

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The Screaming Mimi
• Prefers public setting to affect shame
• Intimidates to instill fear in target and witnesses
• Yells, curses, screams to mask incompetence
• Makes physical threats
• Invades personal space

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The Constant Critic

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The Constant Critic
• Prefers 1-on-1, private settings for deniability
• Destroys confidence in demonstrated competence
• Lies about performance appraisal
• Thoroughly de-humanizes, is contemptuous

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The Two-Headed Snake

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The Two-Headed Snake
• Jekyll-Hyde, passive-aggressive backstabber
• Manages image as seen from above, terrorizes individuals below
• Difficult to detect
• Controls target ’ s reputation

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The Gatekeeper

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The Gatekeeper
• Denies / Blocks resources needed for success
• Unrealistic deadlines
• No training budget or help from others
• No accommodations for physician orders
• Disruption of family / health obligations

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Race
Hispanic
African-
American
White
Asian
2010
Workplace Bullying by Race
Bullied
Now
12.7%
11%
7.9%
3.8%
8.8%
Been
Bullied
23.5%
Combined Witnessed
No
Bullying
Experience
40.2% 12.3% 51.4%
27.6% 38.6% 7.9% 51.5%
25.7%
9.7%
25.7%
33.6%
13.5%
34.5%
16.8%
37.6%
15.5%
49.6%
48.9%
49.6%

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Workplace Bullying – Sexual Orientation
• 1 in 5 lesbian and gay people have experienced workplace bullying from colleagues because of their sexual orientation
(Stonewall Research and Policy)
• 13% of the workforce has witnessed verbal homophobic bullying in the workplace
• 4% of the national workforce has witnessed physical homophobic bullying at work
• Research has found that gay staff who can be out at work in a safe environment are more productive than their gay colleagues who are in the “ closet ”

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Cost of Bullying
Understanding the costs of bullying can be worthwhile for unions and employers – the costs of bullying are multidimensional
Identify potential costs for:
A – Toll on bystanders
B – Value ’ s toll on target
C – Tangible cost
D – Intangible cost

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Cost of Bullying – Toll on Bystanders
• Suffer deterioration of their work place environment and fear being the bully ’ s next target
• Internal confusion and anger at being forced to ostracize and / or dehumanize others and choose between self and others
• Altered mentality – justifying situations that create hostility and abuse by copying the behavior of the bully
• Decreased job satisfaction and commitment
• Possible loss of life if target resorts to violence

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Cost of Bullying – Value ’ s Toll on Target
• Will catastrophize – where targets freeze themselves getting caught up in worst-case thinking
• Fear of living life itself leading to suicide or complete restructuring of core personality
• Loss of faith in self, higher power, or community at large
• Loss of trust making interactions with family and friends difficult
• Desire to cocoon self to protect energy and feelings
• Loss of work, outside friends, and family members due to withdrawal and others getting compassion fatigue continued >>

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Cost of Bullying – Value ’ s Toll on Target
• Everyone is fed up with the target obsessing about work
• Days off spent exhausted and lifeless
• All desire lost
• Target suffers permanent damage to reputation
• Loss of security and safety
• Co-worker isolation from fear
• Families and co-workers encourage compromise with bully and resent if no compromise is found
• Wavering support from family
• Children / Friends outside work show strain

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Cost of Bullying – Tangible Costs
• Increased sickness and 26% higher absenteeism and presenteeism
• Reduced performance / productivity including damage to equipment
• Increased mistakes and accidents
• More premature retirements and higher turnover requiring more recruitment, training, and advertising
• Increased payments for Workers ’ Compensation benefits, disability, and healthcare benefits
• Increased health and social welfare costs
• More expensive grievance, litigation, compensation, and liability insurance

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Cost of Bullying – Intangible Costs
• Loss of morale, negative public relations
• Talent flight where the best and brightest leave or are driven out
• Loss of reputation and service capacity due to employee theft
• Higher staff resistance to management initiatives

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Individuals Pay the Price – For Unsolicited Targethood
Health impairment
Loss of social support
Economic harm

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Psychological / Emotional Impact
Induced clinical depression
39%
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
– 30% of targeted men
– 21% of targeted women
• Betrayal / injustice / assault on dignity
• Shame and guilt
Anxiety / Panic attacks
85%
WBI 2003

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Environments that Traumatize
• Provide little predictability or control
• Present an intense, overwhelming threat
• Destroy a sense of security and safety

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Individuals Pay the Price – For Unsolicited Targethood
Health impairment
Loss of social support
Economic harm

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Co-Worker Inaction
• Everyone FEARS being next
• Witnesses agree about circumstances but don ’ t share, silence prevails – Abilene paradox
• Cliques pursue passiveaggressive self-interest groupthink
• Many side with aggressor

What Co-Workers Do and Don ’ t Do
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WBI Labor Day 2008

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Individuals Pay the Price – For Unsolicited Targethood
Health impairment
Loss of social support
Economic harm

What Stops the Bullying?
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WBI U.S. Natl 2010

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$$$

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Workplace Bullying – Organizational Culture
Can and does create an environment that allows and encourages bullying
• Win/Lose Culture – Everyone is out for himself / herself, and withholding information from colleagues is common; it ’ s usually a highly competitive environment
• Blame Culture – Causes individuals to be afraid to step out of line for fear of being blamed for doing something wrong
• Sacrifice Culture – Requires people to put their jobs before their personal lives to the extent that they may become ill

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Tangible Employer Costs
• Turnover and replacement costs
• Absenteeism and presenteeism
• Fatigued-caused errors and accidents
• Suspended interdependent team productivity
• Litigation and settlement expenses
• Workers ’ Compensation / disability

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Workplace Bullying
Bullying as defined by law, means an intentional electronic, written, verbal of physical act or series of acts directed at another student, parent, employee or board member, that is severe, persistent or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:
• Interfering with a student’s education, employee’s job performance, or board member’s governance ability
• Creating a threatening environment
• Substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school/ district
This policy includes cyberbullying.

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Workplace Bullying
Legislation was introduced to the PA house in December 2013
For The
Healthy Workplace Bill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6SbYi7jvJ0

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Bully Free at Work : the Facts on Workplace Bullying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-q2VRAxjh8

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