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Most employees and employers have had experience with workplace bullying, whether they are the perpetrator, the victim or a bystander, a University of Phoenix psychology professor and former school counselor said Tuesday.
“If you’ve been a victim, you know what it feels like and how it has affected the way you do your job,” Angela Lindsay told small business leaders gathered for the Savannah Chamber’s August SMART Lunch at the Savannah Morning News auditorium.
“But, as employers, do you realize what workforce bullying does to your bottom line?” she asked.
Then Lindsay, who lectures on the topic around the country, elaborated.
“Roughly 30 million Americans have reported bullying at the workplace,” she said. “In a 2007 poll, 37 percent of American adults reported being bullied at work.”
Bullying is more than unjustified blame-placing, Lindsay said. It can take many forms, ranging from being treated differently or being the target of practical jokes to excessive monitoring or social isolation.
“Workplace bullying is the tendency of groups or individuals in the work setting to use persistent, aggressive or unreasonable behavior against a coworker of subordinate.
“That can include verbal, nonverbal, psychological or physical abuse, intimidation or humiliation.”
Bullies in the workplace can create high levels of stress;
reduced self-esteem, sleep disturbances and excessive absenteeism, Lindsay said.
“This, in turn, can cause high turnover, low productivity, a loss of innovation, a loss of trained staff and work effort directed away from productivity to as the victim tries to cope with the bullying,” she said.
“Clearly, allowing this to go on in your business will take a toll,” she said.
“We all know bullying isn’t right,” Lindsay said, quoting Theodore Roosevelt. “But knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”
So, what can business owners and leaders do about bullying in the workplace?
There are lots of things, she said:
• Create a zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy.
• Include employees in the decision-making process.
• Ensure management has an active role in the staff they supervise.
• Encourage an open-door policy and set the example yourself.
• Work to improve management’s ability and sensitivity in dealing with and responding to conflicts.
• Have a demonstrated commitment regarding what is and isn’t acceptable behavior.
“Most important, it’s not enough to talk the talk; You have to walk the walk,” she said.
“When your employees know you won’t tolerate bullying and will immediately shut it down, they are more likely to come to you if it’s happening.”
