Spring Professional Development
February 29 & March 8, 2012
Dr. Frances Allen, Manager, Personnel Services,
410 887-8936, fallen@bcps.org
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Define key terms and concepts
Identify bullying and harassing behaviors in
employees
Review the difference between an EEO
complaint and complaints about workplace
bullying
Discuss strategies to address bullying
behavior and review available resources
Examine responsibility for civil, courteous
and respectful workplace
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Bullies are….
I think bullies are bullies because…..
I think the best way to deal with a bully is…
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Workplace bullying: repeated, health harming-
mistreatment of one or more persons (targets)
by one or more perpetrators that takes one or
more of following forms:
◦ Verbal abuse
◦ Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal)
which are threatening, humiliating or intimidating
◦ Work interference –sabotage- which prevents work
from getting done
--www.workplacebullying.org
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“Systematic aggressive communication,
manipulation of work, and acts aimed at
humiliating or degrading one or more
individuals that create an unhealthy and
unprofessional power imbalance, result in
psychological consequences for targets and
co-workers and cost enormous monetary
damage to an organization’s bottom line.”
--Catherine Mattice and Karen Garman
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Driven by perpetrators’ need to control the
targeted individuals
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Initiated by bullies who choose their
targets, timing, location and methods
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Escalates to involve others who side with
the bully and gang up on the target
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Undermines work/learning environment
when bullies’ agendas take precedence over
work itself
--www.workplacebullying.org
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Repetition (occurs regularly)
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Duration (is enduring)
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Escalation (increasing aggression)
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Power disparity (the target lacks the power to
successfully defend themselves)
Attributed intent (something that is intended;
an aim or purpose—not accidental)
--Einarsen, 1999; Keashly and Harvey 2004; Lutgen-Sandvik,
2006
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Using abusive, insulting or offensive language
Engaging in behavior or using language that
frightens, humiliates, belittle or degrades,
including criticism that is delivered with yelling
and screaming
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Teasing or regularly making someone the brunt
of practical jokes
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Displaying material that is degrading or
offending
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Spreading gossip, rumors or innuendo of a
malicious nature
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Deliberately excluding, isolating or
marginalizing a person from normal
workplace activities
Intruding on a person’s space by pestering,
spying or tampering with their personal
effects or work equipment
Intimidating a person through inappropriate
personal comments, belittling opinions or
unjustified criticism
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Overloading a person with work
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Setting timelines that are difficult to achieve or
constantly changing deadlines
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Setting tasks that are unreasonably beyond a
person’s ability
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Ignoring or isolating a person
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Deliberately denying access to information,
consultation or resources
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Exhibiting unfair treatment in relation to
accessing workplace entitlements, such as
leave or training
--Preventing Workplace Bullying: A Practical Guide for Employers,
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Being bullied at work most closely resembles
the experience of being a battered spouse
especially in terms of the psychological
characteristics
Note: Issue of Power and Control
--www.workplacebullying.org
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Similarity: tendency of individuals to use
persistent aggressive or unreasonable
behavior
Similarity: includes verbal, nonverbal,
psychological, physical abuse and humiliation
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Difference: Workplace bullies often operate
within the established rules and policies of
their organization
Difference: Workplace bullies in majority of
cases are perpetrated by management and
therefore are the people “in charge”
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Can compromise an employee’s health
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Jeopardize her or his job or career
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Strain relationships with friends and family
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Poor morale and poor employee relations
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Loss of respect for managers and supervisors
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Poor performance
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Lost productivity
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Increased absenteeism
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Resignations or requests for transfers
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Damage to workplace reputation
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Court cases
--Bullying and harassment at work: A guide for managers and
employers. ACAS, www.acas.org.uk
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My boss signals me out from all of the
others in their mistreatment of me
My boss treats me differently from the other
co-workers
My boss scrutinizes my work more closely
than my co-workers
My boss denies my person leave/vacation
time when he/she allows others to take
their vacation/personal leave whenever they
want to
My boss belittles me in front of other coworkers
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My boss/co-worker makes my workplace a
“living nightmare”
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I dread going to work because of my
boss/co-worker
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I can’t focus, I have anxiety, I cry all of the
time
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I can do nothing right in my boss’s/coworker’s eyes
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I love my job but my boss’s/co-worker’s
behavior makes me feel like not coming to
work
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Incivility
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Disrespect
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Difficult people
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Personality conflict
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Negative conduct
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Ill treatment
--www.workplacebullying.org
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I PULL MYSELF UP BY PULLING YOU DOWN
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Unwelcome act committed by a person that
makes another feel uncomfortable, offended,
intimidated or oppressed
Most common form is sexual harassment
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Deliberate and/or repeated unwelcome behavior of
a sexual nature; can be verbal, nonverbal or
physical
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Conduct that:
• explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s
employment,
• unreasonably interferes with work performance or
• creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work
environment
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See BCPS Policy/Rule 4102
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• Behavior must be based upon a protected
category:
◦ Age
◦ Color
◦ Disability
◦ Gender
◦ Marital Status
◦ National/Ethnic Origin
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Race
Religion
Sexual Orientation
Veteran Status
Any other unlawful
characteristic under
Federal/State law
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Employee making sexual comments and/or
gestures to another employee
Employee inappropriately touching another
employee
Employees having conversations of a sexual
nature in the workplace
Employees telling racial, religious, and/or
gender-based jokes in the workplace
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Supervisor telling subordinate that they can
help them move to another job if they go
out with them
Employee constantly asking another
coworker out on a date despite being told
they are not interested
Employee using “sexy” nickname to refer to
another coworker
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Recognizing that you are being bullied
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Realizing that you are not the source of the
problem
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Recognizing that bullying is about control and has
nothing to do with your performance
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Keeping a diary detailing the nature of the bullying
(dates, times, places, what was said or done)
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Keeping copies of harassing/bullying paper trails
--Dealing with Bullying at Work: A guide for workers. Commission for
occupational safety and health. Government of Western Australia
Workplace Bullying and Disruptive Behavior: What Everyone Needs to
Know. Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
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Having a witness at any meeting with the
person who is bullying you
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Checking for workplace policies/rules
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Using a counseling service like the
Employee Assistance Program
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Considering approaching the bully
--Dealing with Bullying at Work: A guide for workers.
Commission for occupational safety and health. Government
of Western Australia
Workplace Bullying and Disruptive Behavior: What Everyone
Needs to Know. Washington State Department of Labor and
Industries
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Incivility
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Disrespect
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Difficult people
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Personality conflict
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Negative conduct
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Ill treatment
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I
E
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CYE
 Control
Your Emotions
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 Effective
Communication
Skills are essential to
dealing with bullying and
other challenging behaviors
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Re-work perceptions (e.g. positive, negatives,
neutrals)
Read, research and explore options for
problem-solving
Ask for help or enhance your skills
Change your response
Others…..
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The Respect Institute:
http://therespectinstitute.org
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Johns Hopkins Civility Website and Dr. P. M. Forney:
http://krieger.jhu.edu/civility
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Choose Civility-Howard County, MD:
www.choosecivility.org
This Website also includes a link for resources and
materials. The annual free community wide civility
symposium is October 5, 2011. You can register
for this symposium on their Website.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
www.eeoc.gov
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The Workplace Bullying Institute
www.workplacebullying.org
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Washington State Department of Labor and
Industries: Workplace Bullying and Disruptive
Behavior: What Everyone Needs to Know:
www.Lni.wa.gov/safety/research. (Write name of
publication in search topics) This publication also
has a good list of resources and contacts.
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Tanyka Barber, EEO Officer,
410 887-8937, tbarber2@bcps.org
Janice Zimmerman, EAP Counselor,
410 887-5414, jzimmerman@bcps.org
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Slides 5 through 19 and slide 26: courtesy of
Janice Zimmerman, EAP Counselor
Slides 21-25: courtesy of Tanyka Barber, EEO
Officer
These slides were part of a presentation
developed for administrators at the Safe
Schools Conference.
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