<p><b>As "Hurricane Danny" blew into the room, 15 spines stiffened. This included Phil´s, a key member on the high productivity group of long-term employees making up Danny´s "team" and a 20 year veteran with the company. Every one was wondering the same thing; how much longer can I take this environment. Several empty seats in the room stand as grim reminders of the power of "Hurricane Danny" to transform the team´s landscape. His attempts to stimulate productivity by having team meetings only served to dampen creativity and de-motivate the team as he consistently went beyond what could be considered ´strong management techniques´ in his personal management style. In fact the way that he ran over the objections of those with the courage to speak up, mowed down the passive or defensive, publicly eviscerated those with whom he felt threatened and generally treated people like idiots to the point where people, even those with years of dedicated service and outstanding results such as Phil, were left doubting their own credentials and abilities, can only be interpreted as Workplace Violence or Bullying.</b></p>
<p><b> In the three years that Danny has been the group head the teams numbers have been thinned by those who could not take the abuse any longer and either transferred within the company, took early retirement or left the company to work for a competitor. Those that remain are simply counting the days until the next inevitable re-organization that would allow "Hurricane Danny" to blow off in another direction. They hope too that they will have enough self-esteem left to ever be productive again. Phil finds himself dreaming of the "I survived Hurricane Danny" t-shirts that he will have made up on the day Danny blows, or is blown, away.</b></p>
<p>We have all or will have hopefully, at some point in our careers, the great good fortune to have had a boss that we would follow off of the edge of a cliff if need be. Their ability to communicate, motivate and stimulate us make our workday more pleasure than pain and even help us to grow as individuals. Increasingly though, in today´s hectic work environment where employees are being asked to do more than ever before to produce results under the ´leaner and meaner´ paradigm, employees may be finding themselves in abusive subordinate or co-worker situations that are more likely to make them want to push their boss off of a cliff or to jump themselves.</p>
<p>Managers such as "Hurricane Danny", mentioned in the example above, in the post Bill C-45 workplace represent not only a hazard to the well being and productivity of the employees of a company but can also have a direct impact on the company itself. With legislation like the former Bill C-451 on the horizon, companies that fail to take measures of due diligence regarding cases of harassment or Bullying in the workplace will do so at their own risk.</p>
<p>Issues of due diligence regarding protecting employees from violence in the workplace should not be limited to examples of what would commonly be considered violence, such as the 1999 shooting spree engaged in by an employee of OC Transpo of Ottawa, or the case this past fall at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital where a 37-year-old nurse was stabbed to death by her former lover, a doctor at the same institution, as colleagues worked nearby. With the scope of legislation broadening, corporations may be subjected to complaints or prosecutions for failing to protect employees from the often more insidious forms of violence such as bullying or harassment. These "softer" forms of violence can be just as damaging to a company and its employees and needs to be addressed both for the sake of employee wellness or safety as for overall job satisfaction and productivity. One of the first steps for a company to take in creating new policy with regards to workplace violence should be to broaden its definition.</p>
<p>"In its broadest form, violence can be construed as, but not limited to, physical, verbal or sexual abuse or assault, bullying, harassment, intimidation, stalking, or chilly climate. Succinctly put, the intent to cause harm to another person." (CAUT ´Violence in the workplace´ Oct. 2004)</p>
<p>By looking at workplace violence within a broader definition as the one above provides it may in fact be possible to eliminate the extreme examples more commonly understood to be violence or violent behavior. The OC Transporo employee, whose shooting spree cost him and four fellow employees their lives, had also been the victim of workplace harassment. Currently there is little occupational health and safety legislation in Canada that specifically deals with bullying in the workplace. Quebec legislation includes "psychological harassment" in its "Act Respecting Labour Standards" and some jurisdictions have gone so far as to include bullying in legislation on workplace violence but, although employers have a general duty to protect employees from risks at work, whether from physical harm or harm to their mental health, many choose to address the issue on a ´cost to the organization´ basis.</p>
<p>The costs of bullying will be realized through the common channels of sick days taken, productivity loss, team de-motivation, employee turnover and the like but, if the actions of an ex-Quantas airlines worker Nicholas Patsakos or the victims family of the 37-year-old nurse at Hotel-Dieu Grace hospital are any indication, employers may begin to find themselves increasingly on the receiving end of litigation resulting from bullying in the workplace or for failing to provide sufficient protection for its employees.</p>
<p>"<b>Upper management was aware of the problems with Danny, relates Phil, even Danny was aware that something was not right, but all that was done was to have a ´marriage counselor´ brought in for the team and have the entire team sent on an outdoor ´team building´ retreat, without Danny. Clearly the complaints that were lodged were not being dealt with and, although the flat reporting lines of the corporate structure theoretically made it easier to complain upwards, the culture within the company made this an unpopular choice. The results of our experience with "Hurricane Danny" in the short term were sky-high stress levels and reduced productivity both in and out of the workplace. In the long term, once the re-organization finally happened and Danny was promoted, those team members, most of whom are no longer working for the company, can run into each other even now, over a decade later and instantly connect, as with prison camp or natural disaster survivors, having survived together a traumatically stressful three years storm."</b></p>
<p>Several Canadian firms such as Camco, General Electric and Northern Telecom have engaged in pro-active and innovative relationships with their labour counterparts and produced clauses in recent contracts that reflect at least the recognition that both management and labour must share the responsibility for the prevention and management of workplace violence. Any other forward thinking corporation should take heed of the issue of bullying as, in Canada, there exists an implied contract dictating an employers duty of care for employee safety. This is commonly seen in an employers liability in the case of a supervisor sexually harassing another employee as the employer has control over the creation and maintenance of the work environment including: the workplace culture´s health or toxicity, employee responsibilities, behavioral expectations and roles.</p>
<p>In his article for Ivey Business Journal entitled "Workplace Bullying: Escalating incivility", Gary Namie lists several reasons why employers should address workplace bullying:</p>
<p>1) It is 3 times more prevalent than sexual harassment. Illegal discrimination and harassment require significant investments of time and money to identify, correct and prevent. Employers already know what to do about harassment.</p>
<p>2) It is costly: Employment practices liability can be substantial. Bullied targets, often the most talented employees, are driven from the workplace. Turnover is expensive. Increased health care utilization can result in heftier premium costs borne by employers.</p>
<p>3) Data to prevent bullying-related losses exist. Because the complaint system gatekeepers (in</p>
<p>HR) hear all the stories, the employer has evidence of bullying´s prevalence. Everyone knows who the repeat offenders are.</p>
<p>4) Witnesses know when bullying happens, whether or not it was behind closed doors. When a high performing employee is fired and humiliated by "exit parade"--given a box to take private belongings, escorted by HR and security-or simply disappears without explanation one day, fear dominates the workplace. Fear-driven workplaces with poor morale undermine employee commitment and productivity.</p>
<p>5) Employee recruitment and retention are made more difficult when the employer's reputation suffers from the antics of one or more petty tyrants.</p>
<p>Companies looking to improve their work environments, for the benefit of both their employees and their bottom line, with regard to the issue of bullying in the workplace can start by writing up a comprehensive policy that covers a range of incidents from bullying to harassment and physical violence. Examples of bullying include:</p>
<ul type="disc">
<li>Spreading malicious rumours or gossip</li>
<li>Excluding or isolating someone socially</li>
<li>Intimidating a person</li>
<li>Undermining or deliberately impeding a persons work</li>
<li>Physically abusing or threatening abuse</li>
<li>Removing areas of responsibility without cause</li>
<li>Constantly changing work guidelines</li>
<li>Setting the individual up to fail as with impossible to reach goals or deadlines</li>
<li>Withholding needed information or providing mis-information</li>
<li>Intruding on the individuals privacy by pestering, prying or stalking</li>
<li>Yelling or excessive criticism</li>
<li>Blocking applications for training, leave or promotion</li>
</ul>
<p>Companies operating under a modern, values driven policy can adopt new, more credible enforcement processes, and educative programs for executive orientation, managerial training as well as coaching for front line employees to both build awareness and harden individuals who may be targets. Although there are few companies out there that specialize in helping businesses to deal with the problem of bullying in the workplace, our company, Workplace Warrior Programs, does we offer these tips for Executives who are tired enough of the poor results and talent drain to do something about it:</p>
<ul type="disc">
<li><u><b>Recognize the problem and its costs</b></u>. In today´s marketplace, with its low unemployment level, great employees are hard to find. Bullying and toxic management practices may be costing more than just the results of low morale or productivity, it may be costing you your best and brightest employees.</li>
<li><u><b>Create a clear policy</b></u>. Your policy should not only outline acceptable/ unacceptable behaviors but should also include an internal process for employees to report conduct that they believe violates company policy. The policy should outline to whom the employee should go with his or her complaint and the steps that will follow in the processing of the report. The policy should also work to protect the employees confidentiality as much as possible and protect them from retaliation.</li>
<li><u><b>Treat the cause not the symptoms</b></u>. When your people suffer, you suffer. Providing team-building exercises for a group of employees who work under a toxic manager is wasting your money and your people´s time. Deal directly with the individual that is causing the challenges. Often this straightforward approach will create the best result for you, the manager and their team.</li>
<li><u><b>Create a workplace environment where courtesy and respect rule.</b></u> For the vast majority of your employee´s fitness programs and/or facilities in the workplace hold little or no interest. What people do want is a workplace that they can enjoy going to and where they feel both respected and appreciated. Offering programs for your employees that focus on personal development such as nutrition/lifestyle courses, violence avoidance, meditation, self-defense, relaxation, assertiveness or conflict resolution allows them to feel personally empowered and shows everyone in the office what your workplace culture is all about.</li>
<li><u><b>If they work for you, you work for them.</b></u> By providing courses for your troops that focus on them and give them the tools that they need to succeed in their lives, both at work and outside of work, you are sending your people a clear message that you care about more than the bottom line. In turn you will likely soon find yourself riding a wave of productivity and employee morale that is off the chart.</li>
</ul>
<p>With a movement on the horizon to re-submit bill C-451 companies that are pro-active will establish themselves as models for the fair treatment of their employees. As bill C-45 has shown us, the upper levels of management can no longer hide from their responsibility to their employees as it relates to providing a safe work environment. The issue of employee harassment or ´Bullying´ can no longer hide under the guise of "strong management" nor should a sagacious employer want it to. If toxic management techniques are left unchecked or HR policies are not updated to be capable of dealing effectively with this issue then the costs in terms of reduced productivity and the inevitable brain drain of lost employees will soon be the handwriting on the wall for the larger issue of litigation that this legislation will inevitably bring about.</p>
<hr>
<p><b>Richard Verlaan</b> is the owner and founder of Workplace Warrior Programs, a company that provides training programs and consultation to corporations in the areas of team building, employee safety, violence avoidance, work/life balance, stress management and leadership. He can be contacted at <a href="mailto:info@workplacewarriorprograms.com">info@workplacewarriorprograms.com</a> or 647.300.9997</p>
