Violence and Bullying in the Workplace

The school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School shocked the nation. The tragedy also reminded businesses that even though workplace violence has declined since the $1990s,$ the threat has in no way disappeared. Employers and managers must be vigilant about potential violence in the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nearly $2$ million Americans are impacted by workplace violence annually. ${?}^{60}$ The Occupational Safety and Health Administration $($OSHA$)$ reports that homicides account for $8$ percent of all workplace deaths and are the number one cause of death for women in the workplace. In fact, $19$ percent of women's death in the workplace is from homicides. ${?}^{61}$

Many companies have taken action to prevent problems before they occur. They have held focus groups that invite employee input, hired managers with strong interpersonal skills, and employed skilled consultants to deal with any growing potential for workplace violence. In many states employers can seek a temporary restraining order on behalf of workers experiencing threats or harassment. Such initiatives have helped curtail workplace violence, Unfortunately, as workplace violence has decreased, workplace bullying has increased.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute $($WBI$),$ bullying at work involves "repeated, health$-$harming mistreatment of a person by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is: threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or work interference or sabotage which prevents work from getting done, or verbal abuse."$62$ The WBI maintains bullying is four times more common than sexual harassment on the job. ${?}^{63}$ Zogby International research estimates that $35$ percent of workers have been bullied at work. ${?}^{64}$ Unfortunately, employers and managers often discount or deny bullying, and often refer to it simply as personality conflicts or management styles. By trivializing bullying, an organization can suffer reduced employee morale and productivity, increased turnover, and in some cases, even legal problems.

Although "schoolyard" bullying tends to be physical in nature, workplace bullying involves more psychological and verbal abuse. Also, the targets of workplace bullying are often the strongest employees $($who are considered threats to the bully$),$ not the weakest. The majority of bullies are supervisors or managers but can also be fellow workers. ${?}^{65}$ Men far outnumber women as workplace bullies, but women tend to bully other women more frequently than men. Bullying is increasingly becoming a major problem in workplace and can be directed at employees at all levels of the organization. ${?}^{66}$ To be an effective leader, a manager must be aware of what bullying is$,$ learn the signs of bullying, and most importantly take correction action to end it$.$ By ignoring workplace bullying, companies may lose their most productive or promising employees.