Prevent Suicides Through Anti-Bullying Policies

In recognition of this year’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I would like to highlight how anti-bullying policies can decrease suicides, as a follow-up to my prior posts, including “Overview of Workplace Bullying” and “How Offices Should Address Workplace Bullying.”

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 74.8 million Americans have been bullied (52.2 million) or witnessed bullying (22.6 million) while working. The bullying can take multiple forms, including spreading rumors, excluding people, giving unrealistic assignments, critiquing people frequently, and more. It also can lead to suicide.

Workplace bullying generally is legal. However, if an employee is part of a protected class (i.e., a disability), this activity is illegal. Some offices have created and implemented their own anti-bullying policy. An anti-bullying policy may include:

• Statement of commitment – says that your office strives to create and maintain a workplace void of harassment (and similar language).
• Policy statement – discusses the policy’s goals (i.e., “All forms of discrimination, harassment and violence will not be tolerated, condoned or ignored.”)
• Scope or application – describes who and what the policy would apply to. Ideally, an anti-bullying policy would cover all people, including volunteers, and every workplace activity.
• Key Concepts and Definitions – defines unacceptable behavior. It may give examples (i.e., abusing and undermining people) and discuss microaggressions, which are brief comments that appear to be complimentary but reflect discriminatory views. An example of a microaggression is, “You are smart for a Level Two autistic person.”
• Responsibilities – explains the duties of employees and supervisors. For example, everyone must report bullying if they experience and/or see this behavior; managers must investigate or report bullying.
• Complaint Process – describes how people can make complaints and how complaints are addressed. It should include information about how your workplace addresses complaints that are unfounded.
• Consequences for bullying – describes punishments, which should be significant enough to deter infractions.
• Confidentiality policy – describes how complaints are addressed as confidentially as possible
• Anti-retaliation policy – details the consequences of retaliating against people who report bullying. Without this language, people may be afraid to comply.

An anti-bullying policy may also include a form that people can use to report bullying.

Workplaces can create anti-bullying policies by:

• Reviewing other workplaces’ anti-bullying policies for best practices.
• Using anti-bullying policy templates and websites.

After drafting an anti-workplace policy:

• Multiple people should review, and if necessary, revise it.
• The policy should be finalized.
• Managers should receive and be trained on the policy. This step decreases many procedural mistakes and ensures that people have a common understanding of the policy.
• All new employees, interns, and volunteers also should be trained, and everyone should be trained on a regular basis (i.e., every year).
• The policy should be reviewed on a regular basis (i.e., every year).

Ensure that your workplace’s anti-bullying policy is enforced without exceptions. Everyone, including top leaders, should be required to follow it. Without enforcement, such a policy is useless.

Aside from preventing suicides, an anti-bullying policy that is properly enforced would also help you and your workplace by:

• Creating more hospitable working environments for everyone, including you.
• Decreasing costly turnover.

Many government agencies already have instituted anti-bullying policies, and your organization could use them as models, as many organizations look to similar government entities for best practices.

One government with an anti-bullying policy is the government of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Its webpage, titled “Anti-Bullying/Workplace Violence,” has a section on “Workplace Bullying Policy” that begins:

“Anne Arundel County Government prohibits bullying in the workplace involving Anne Arundel County Government employees, supervisors, and managers. Bullying, threatening or violent behavior will not be tolerated. No complaint of such inappropriate conduct will be ignored. Likewise, retaliation against any employee who brings a complaint or report of bullying conduct pursuant to the county policy is prohibited. The County’s policy on anti-bullying applies to all employees of Anne Arundel County government including, classified, exempt, temporary, seasonal and contractual employees, and all volunteers.”

The page links to Anne Arundel County’s Workplace Bullying Policy and Workplace Bullying Incident Report form. The page also provides the name and contact information for the Office of Equity and Human Rights’ Director, whom people can contact if they “have a concern of bullying by a County government employee.”

Create better workplaces by using anti-bullying polices. Such policies may save lives while making your office more hospitable.

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 https://kaboompics.com