It is surprising to hear, but true, that most workplaces still have bullies. I am sure that most people know someone at work, have heard of someone at work, or have experienced themselves, the act of bullying. However, what is a bully?

According to the authors of The Bully at Work (Gary and Ruth Namie), bulling is defined as “the repeated malicious, health-endangering mistreatment of one employee (the target) by one or more employees (the bully or bullies). The mistreatment is psychological violence, a mix of verbal and strategic assaults to prevent the target from performing well. It is illegitimate conduct in that it prevents work from getting done. Thus, an employer’s legitimate business interests are not met.

Another source that defines a workplace bully is the House Bill. In accordance to the 1968 House Bill, Workplace bullying is behaviour that:
- A rational person finds hostile or offensive and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests
- Causes physical or psychological harm to an employee.

The bill also goes on to state that workplace bullying includes but is not limited to:
- Repeated infliction of verbal abuse such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults and epithets.
- Verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating or humiliating.
- The gratuitous sabotage or undermining of an employee’s work performance.
- A single act of workplace bullying that is especially severe and egregious.

Shocking research shows that that 81 percent of workplace bullies are bosses. This puts the employee in an extremely difficult position. In this situation, the employee cannot go to their boss or supervisor for support and understanding. When in this state of affairs, unless you have another source of income, it is extremely complicated and tricky to stand up to your boss or complain to a higher manager without fear that you may lose your job. In addition, others might incorrectly view you as the problem, since part of the manipulation is to destabilize your self-worth.”


What does bullying looks like?

According to the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute (WBTI), the top 10 bullying acts include:

1. Falsely accused someone of "errors" not actually made (71%)
2. Stared, glared, was nonverbally intimidating and was clearly showing hostility (68%)
3. Discounted the person’s thoughts or feelings ("oh, that’s silly") in meetings (64%)
4. Used the "silent treatment" to "ice out" & separate from others (64%)
5. Exhibited presumably uncontrollable mood swings in front of the group (61%)
6. Made up own rules on the fly that even she/he did not follow (61%)
7. Disregarded satisfactory or exemplary quality of completed work despite evidence (58%)
8. Harshly and constantly criticized having a different ‘standard’ for the Target (57%)
9. Started, or failed to stop, destructive rumors or gossip about the person (56%)
10. Encouraged people to turn against the person being tormented (55%).


Does gender make a difference?

The WBTI states that different tactics are chosen based on the bully’s gender. Male bullies are more likely than female bullies to implement the following devices:

Bullying Tactics - Male bullies%, Female bullies% respectively
Public screaming 66% 58%
Illegal verbal tactics 55% 47%
Sabotaging a person’s contribution 54% 42%
Post-complaint retaliation 57% 47%
Timing mistreatment to correspond with
medical or psych vulnerability 53% 39%
Withholding resources for success,
then blaming the target 52% 40%
Name calling 48% 35%
Threatening job loss, punishment 45% 32%
Interfering with paycheck or earned benefits 37% 28%
Blocking access to equipment &
resources for success 34% 26%
Discriminating so as to be illegal &
potentially actionable 22% 10%
Assigning person to unsafe work environment 19% 12%
Threatening to do physical harm 22% 9%
Engaging in physical sexual aggression 14% 8%
Boasting about owning &
proficiency with a weapon 10% 4%

However, female bullies are more likely than male bullies to implement the following devices:

Bullying Tactics - Male bullies%, Female bullies% respectively
Silent treatment, icing out individuals 68% 76%
Encouraged colleagues to turn against the target 59% 67%

Besides the acts of bullying depending on the bully’s gender, they also depend on the target’s gender. According to the WBTI, female targets are more likely than men targets to be recipients of the following tactics:

Bullying Tactics -  Male targets%, Female targets% respectively
Having contributions to meetings discounted 61% 74%
Being mistreated when medically or
psychologically vulnerable 35% 45%
Denied training or time to succeed in new job 34% 43%
Blocked access to equipment &
resources for success 21% 30%
Uninvited invasion of office space &
scrutiny of e-mails 14% 22%

However, male targets are more likely than female targets to be recipients of the following tactics:

Bullying Tactics -  Male targets %, Female targets% respectively
Tormented because of disability 26% 18%
Threatened with physical harm 21% 12%

How can bullying affect an individual?

People who are the victims of bullying can experience many effects. These include:

- Shock
- Anger
- Feelings of frustration and/or helplessness
- Increased sense of vulnerability
- Loss of confidence
- Physical symptoms such as
- inability to sleep
- loss of appetite
- Psychosomatic symptoms such as
- stomach pains
- headaches
- Panic or anxiety, especially about going to work
- Family tension and stress
- Inability to concentrate
- Low morale and productivity


How can bullying affect the workplace?

A workplace that has bullying as part of it’s environment is unhealthy and can have many effects. These include:

- Increased absenteeism
- Increased turnover
- Increased stress
- Increased costs for employee assistance programs (EAPs), recruitment, etc.
- Increased risk for accidents / incidents
- Decreased productivity and motivation
- Decreased morale
- Reduced corporate image and customer confidence, and
- Poorer customer service


Tips to stop the bullying:

1. Let someone you trust know what is happening to you, and ask for their help.
2. Keep a written diary of occurrences. Include the date, time, situation and any witnesses.
3. Report the incident to your supervisor/manager, to the bully’s supervisor/manager or to your Personnel/Human Resources department.
4. Let the bully know that their behaviour is unacceptable and leave the situation.
5. Don not fight back or engage in debate with the bully, as it may result in you being blamed for the fight.
6. If possible, avoid being alone at any time with the bully.
7. If someone else is nearby, ask the bully to repeat their comments in front of them as a witness.
8. If you are being isolated or bullied, do not quietly endure the abuse. Find advice and support. Check websites like nobully, forme.ca and mobbing.ca.
9. Be proactive. As soon as you experience any bullying or start to feel uncomfortable with the way someone behaves, ask your bully to sit down and talk with you. However, bring a friend with you. Stay calm and unemotional; explain briefly and respectfully why you feel targeted, how it makes you feel and stress that it is unacceptable. Research shows that this can resolve your problem. Some bullies are socially incompetent and do not fully understand the impact of their behaviour.
10. Remember that your emotional outbursts can be used against you. If a request for fair, respectful treatment meets with irrational anger, do not react and retaliate.
11. Being flexible and pleasant does not work when dealing with bullying. They see such qualities as a sign of weakness and may cause up the abuse to increase. Remember to be and stay firm in your convictions.
12. Check your company policy if the harassment or bullying does not stop. There may be written procedures that you need to follow. Also, keep thorough records of the bullying.
13. If there is no written policy, approach your company's HR professional and seek legal advice.
14. Look for people who have witnessed the bullying or have experienced similar behaviour from your bully.
15. For the sake of your own mental health, be realistic. You may not win, no matter how just your cause. Fight the good fight as long as possible, and then move on.
16. Don not let the experience permanently damage your future. If you are having trouble moving on with your life, seek professional help.
17. If you witness someone being bullied, report what you see to HR or management. If possible, always, offer support to the target.


Tips to prevent bullies from harming others:

1. Create suitable values, policies and a code of conduct for your organization that includes respect for each person.
2. Ensure everyone is trained in the correct procedures.
3. Specify resources and steps to follow for people who are being harassed, threatened, mistreated or disrespected.
4. Follow through on complaints promptly.
5. Enforce your values, policies and code of conduct by exercising appropriate discipline for bullies.
6. Enforce your values, policies and code of conduct by appropriate discipline for supervisors and managers who do not protect their employees from bullies.
7. Watch for warning signs of bullying in potential victims.


Resources and helpful links:

http://www.itstime.com/jul2005.htm

http://www.nobullyforme.org/

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/bullying.html

http://content.monster.ca/9426_en-CA_p1.asp

http://www.anonymousemployee.com/csssite/sidelinks/workplace_bullying.php

http://ring.uvic.ca/98mar20/Bullying.html

http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/articles/mobbing_at_work.asp

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/bosscoworkers/a/bullies_at_work.htm

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/22/health-bullying-office-forbeslife-cx_avd_0324health.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_bullying

http://www.safecanada.ca/link_e.asp?category=12&topic=209

http://www.bullyinginstitute.org

http://www.jfo.org.uk/support/network/profiles.htm

http://www.bullyonline.org/

http://www.bullyonline.org/resources/groups.htm