How Offices Should Address Workplace Bullying

How can you potentially prevent turnover, absenteeism, a culture of fear, and loss of productivity? Address workplace bullying.

You may associate bullying with childhood, but it happens at work, too. Learn about the types of bullying in the first entry of this series, “Overview of Workplace Bullying.”

You may not realize bullies are a problem in your office. Bullies often act differently around higher-ups than they do with their targets. You may never see them at it if you don’t look. Don’t rely on silence as a sign there’s no issue. Targeted employees may be afraid they won’t be believed; others may stay silent for fear of losing their jobs or becoming victims themselves.

Or, you may know about bullying but brush it aside. Among the reasons supervisors give for failing to address workplace bullying:

• It will “sort itself out.” Bullying can’t be swept under the rug. Too often it “sorts itself out” because the target resigns. That doesn’t solve the real problem: Instead, it emboldens the bully.
• They don’t like conflict. To avoid confrontation, they may think it’s easier just to fire the target, especially if the bully has painted them as a poor performer. Again, ignoring the bully may only make the situation worse as they turn to traumatizing other employees.
• They don’t know how to identify or handle workplace bullying. Calling in expert help won’t make you look like a bad leader; it demonstrates that you are a caring and effective one who wants what’s best for your team.
• The work is the point, and interpersonal issues are a distraction. Actual work is important, but workplaces that tolerate bullying become unproductive.
• They take the side of the bully. Bullies are often bosses, so they may have control over what you know about their target. You may have hired them or see them as your equals, and thus be reluctant to see their faults. You may not want to discipline them. But disciplining the bully can prevent future abuse.

Addressing bullying is in your interest. Bullying can make working a “living hell,” and not just for the victims. Other co-workers may leave because they do not want work where such abuse is tolerated. You may not be worried about legal repercussions because abusive behavior is often legal, unless it targets a protected trait, such as gender, race or disability. But if you are responsible for the working environment, a bullying-related lawsuit could tarnish your career.

Some steps an organization can take to address bullying:

• Create and implement an anti-bullying policy. Be sure the policy applies to all work-related events, both in and out of the office. And have a plan to enforce it. The policy alone is necessary but not sufficient. Meaningful implementation signals to the bully that their behavior is not tolerated.
• Have an open-door policy so people can report bullying. For example, allow anonymous reports. Although anonymity could make it easier for people to make false accusations, it’s useful when employees are afraid the bully will retaliate. A fair investigation will weed out the false reports.
• Take complaints about hostile behavior seriously. Shrugging off workplace bullying complaints makes you complicit. By not doing anything, you enable the bully, making it easier for them to continue to torment people.
• Believe the complaints. Assume reports are made in good faith until and unless proven otherwise. You may not see the bully’s toxic behavior, because they typically are more respectful around supervisors than they are toward colleagues. Just because you do not see this harmful behavior — or even if your own experiences with the bully give a different impression — does not mean it does not happen.
• Address bullying immediately. Be on the lookout for bullying in meetings, and take steps to prevent it: Allow all participants time to speak, keep things positive, shut down personal criticism and ask people to take up any disagreements outside the meeting. When you see bullying at a meetings, call it out as unacceptable.
• Hold ongoing trainings about bullying. Training should teach what bullying is, how to identify it, and suggest ways to handle it. Include interactive activities, perhaps with role-playing, as some adults learn most easily that way.
• Ensure that your human resources (HR) office, if your organization has one, can properly handle complaints. Sometimes, HR offices mishandle, dismiss, or ignore complaints. Hold them to the policy.
• Call in experts to develop policies and to address specific complaints. Many organizations don’t have the information or expertise to handle bullying effectively. It’s better to bring in those who do than to struggle.
• Lead with compassion. Treat your colleagues respectfully. For example, praise people in public and discipline them in one-on-one meetings, out of the limelight.
• Recognize kindness. Acknowledgement encourages people to treat their colleagues with respect. Consider rewarding good behavior regularly with a heartfelt note of appreciateion, a gift or a public statement. Allow employees and managers to submit nominations.

Time is of the essence. Address workplace bullying before it can escalate and cause real harm.

Miriam Edelman, MPA, MSSW, is a Washington, D.C.,-based policy professional. Her experience includes policy work for Congress. Miriam’s undergraduate degree is from Barnard College, Columbia University, with majors in political science and urban studies. She has a master’s in public administration from Cornell University, where she was inducted into the national honorary society for public administration. She has a master’s of science in social work (focusing on policy) from Columbia University. She is a commissioner of the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Miriam aims to continue her career in public service. She is especially interested in democracy, civic education, District of Columbia autonomy, diversity, health policy, women’s issues, and disabilities.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich at Pexels.com