Workplace bullying prevention is important cause bullying can foster a hostile climate at work that negatively affects both the victim and the workplace as a whole. It can stifle innovation, lower output, foster a toxic workplace atmosphere, and expose your business to legal action if you don’t take action.
Although bullying at work is a widespread issue in the United States, even the most responsible employers may find it difficult to know how to handle it. Let’s take a closer look at workplace bullying, including how it is defined, how to spot it, and what you can do to put an end to it.
What is workplace bullying?
Workplace bullying is when one or more perpetrators within an organization repeatedly mistreat one or more employees. The behavior itself may be intended to intimidate, threaten, or degrade the employee, as well as to obstruct their capacity to perform their job.
Bullying can take many different forms, however some examples are as follows:
- Intimidation: Threatening or disparaging remarks about the person, their work, or their capacity to do their job.
- Sabotage:Attempts to undermine the target’s work, have a bad affect on it, or make it impossible for the target to complete their work.
- Spreading rumors or gossip:with the intent to harm the target or to have others cast doubt on their competence, professionalism, or abilities.
- Incitement: is the act of encouraging someone else to bully or victimize the target
Bullying at work is typically verbal rather than physical. Here are other examples of workplace bullying:
What does workplace bullying look like?
Many victims of workplace bullying feel unable to take action since it can be subtle, difficult to define, and difficult to convey to others. Bullying might be commonly accepted if it involved being forced into a corner by an irate boss who spat and poked his finger in one’s face, but many workplace bullying incidents involve toxic employees and are far more subtle.
Here are a few basic examples of workplace bullying:
- In either their presence or absence, an aggressor makes jokes and disparaging remarks about another employee, and they actively urge others to do the same.
- Bullies physically frighten their targets without touching them, for example, by purposefully looming over them, encroaching on their personal space, or showing disregard for their privacy.
- The victim is often interrupted during meetings by another person who speaks over them, makes fun of or minimizes their contributions, or displays exaggerated facial expressions like rolling their eyes. These actions deter the victim from raising their voice and making their point.
Bullies may preemptively approach their manager to provide a false backstory about the incident if they are concerned that the victim will seek redress or report the conduct. To ensure that the supervisor ignores or even punishes the genuine victim for reporting the problem, this portrays the victim as an incompetent or dissatisfied worker who is trying to cover their back by filing a report.
How can employers stop workplace bullying?
It is essential to adopt a proactive stance toward the issue and avoid assuming that bullying isn’t taking place just because you haven’t received any reports or personally experienced it in order to eradicate workplace bullying in your organization and establish a culture of zero tolerance for it.
Here are four steps employers can take to curb workplace bullying:
1. Recognizing the problem:
First, be aware that bullying at work is a problem for businesses of all sizes and that it can occur within your own company. Bullying in the workplace affects all businesses.
2. Establishing policies
Create a clear anti-bullying policy that explains your company’s position on bullying and dedication to preventing it once you’ve admitted that it’s a real problem. In terms of a chain of command, provide a structure that employees at any level can use to report bullying. Include information on when and how to do so, as well as where to turn if the bully is the victim’s manager or immediate superior.
You can also develop an open-door policy as part of the policy-making process to encourage staff to voice concerns in a welcoming environment free from criticism or repercussions.
3. Training and education
If no one is aware of your policies, they serve no use. The prevention of workplace bullying can be significantly aided by educating your staff. The following are some subjects to discuss with your staff:
- What workplace bullying is
- How to recognize workplace bullying as a victim, bully or witness
- Understanding unconscious bias
- Your company policies regarding workplace bullying
- Your company policies regarding diversity and inclusion
- How to report workplace bullying
- Consequences for violating your workplace policies
Include your anti-bullying guidelines in your employee handbook, and have everyone acknowledge them by signing. This will guarantee that each worker is aware of your position on bullying.
4. Addressing the incidents
Have a strategy and procedure to follow for bullying instances that have been reported or seen, including a database to track and record complaints and a guideline for what to do next. Do not seek to defend or minimize claims or complaints of bullying. Instead, take them seriously. Keep in mind that an employee’s appearance and demeanor may be completely different from what a victim or target perceives. Never ignore a complaint just because the person charged always seems kind and helpful to you.
Making sure that your business recognizes and addresses workplace bullying if and when it occurs can raise productivity, boost employee retention, lower absenteeism, and shield your business from potentially expensive legal action.
How can employees stop workplace bullying?
Bullying in the workplace can be stopped by many people besides only the employers. In fact, it’s frequently the responsibility of managers and staff to carry out the grunt work of spotting and reporting bullying in the first place.
By actively participating in anti-bullying training sessions, learning how to spot workplace bullying, and properly reporting and responding to bullying situations, employees and managers may help end bullying at work.
As the ones who regularly engage with one another, employees and managers can prevent workplace bullying by setting an example of moral behavior. This may inspire others to adopt their positive behavior.
Bottom Line
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