Workplace Bullying Prevention Made Simple

"Bullying is like a virus - it spreads exponentially when it's allowed to flourish."

Bullying in the workplace is not a new problem, but only recently has the epidemic of bullying at work been seriously looked at and measured. Conservative estimates put the loss in productivity at more than a billion dollars in the USA alone. Sadly, decline in employee morale, employee turnover, loss in productivity, health problems and loss in organizational reputation are just a small sampling of the many problems bullying in the workplace may cause.

Workplace Bullying Prevention Made Simple outlines numerous examples of bullying behaviors most common in today’s workplace, including:

• Taunting, teasing or making jokes about a co-worker
• Sabotaging another employee's work or copying, plagiarizing or stealing work
• Physically threatening, shoving, striking, or touching a co-worker
• Gossiping or spreading rumors about co-worker
• Hazing or initiations...and many more...

Alarming stories of workplace bullying, either face-to-face or online, are on the rise, and statistics from the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) indicate a frightening scenario:

• 3 percent of victims take it to court
• 37 percent of workers have been victims
• 72 percent of bullies are bosses
• 60 percent of bullies are men, 40 percent are women
• 57 percent of victims are women
• 71 percent of women bully other women
• 40 percent of victims never report bullying to employers

It's vital that organizations educate employees to recognize the many different forms bullying can take, and what to do when it occurs. Short, but comprehensive, Workplace Bullying Prevention Made Simple covers every aspect of this important topic in five and a half minutes.

Languages: English, French Canadian, Spanish

A TABC release