WORKPLACE BULLYING

By: CDR Charlene Majersky, PhDLead, Overseas Recruitments/Personnel ActionsDivision of Global Health Protection (proposed)

andGordon Hughes, PhD

DirectorEmployee Assistance Program

USPHS / HS-PACNovember 18, 2013

USPHS Mission

“Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the Nation.”

USPHS Core Values1. Leadership – “Provides vision and purpose in

public health through inspiration, dedication, and loyalty.”

2. Service – “Demonstrates a commitment to public health through compassionate actions and stewardship of time, resources, and talents.”

3. Integrity – “Exemplifies uncompromising ethical conduct and maintains the highest standards of responsibility and accountability.”

4. Excellence – “Exhibits superior performance and continuous improvement in knowledge and expertise.”

Why Workplace Bullying?

1. Professional development

2. USPHS Core Values:Leadership, Service, Integrity, and Excellence

Did you know? Workplace bullying: 1. Yahoo = 2.68M hits2. Google = 7.19M hits3. Barnes & Noble = 98 books4. Amazon = 1,633 books(as of 9/24/13)

Who is Gary Namie, PhD and Ruth Namie, PhD?

• SMEs on workplace bullying in the U.S.

• In 1997, started the research and education organization known as the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), www.workplacebullying.org. • Research articles published in scholarly journals (i.e., the Journal of Consulting Psychology, International Journal of Communication). Featured in >950 media interviews.

• WBI’s significant 2007 and 2010 U.S. large scale scientific surveys of bullying, representing all adult Americans.  

Summary of Workplace Bullying

4.15” YouTube clip “ Dr. Gary Namie on Workplace Bullying: What it is and is not”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5lvyopCAr4

Workplace Bullying Institute

The Workplace Bullying Institute located in Bellingham, Washington, is the first and only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals through research, education, trainings, legislative advocacy, and offering viable solutions to organizations.

Who is Aryanne Oade?• Psychologist and owner of a successful coaching and development business.

• Coaches senior-level clients on complex interpersonal issues surrounding leadership and influence.

• Since 1994 designed and delivered 130+ executive coaching programs and 100+ tailored professional skills workshops for leaders, managers and employees.

What comes to mind when you hear the term, workplace

bullying?

Definition of Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying is defined as the recurrent ill-will and abusive treatment of an employee by another employee(s) through behaviors and actions such as verbal abuse that is opprobrious (abusive, derogatory, insulting, offensive, libelous, venomous, etc.), intimidating, or embarrassing; or sabotaging someone’s work with vindictiveness and hatefulness, with the intention to obstruct work productivity.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Key Points from Definition

• Personalized attack.• Purposed attempt by one colleague to injure another colleague’s self-esteem, self-confidence and reputation.• Health-harming mistreatment.• Threatening and intimidating behaviors that are emotionally and psychologically punishing.• Work sabotage.• Repeated.• Power.

National Prevalence • WBI scientific surveys, 2007 and 2010. Zogby International randomly sampled a group of adult Americans.

5 key findings:

1. 35% of the U.S. workforce (~53.5M Americans) reported being bullied at work.2. Additional 15% witnessed it.3. 62% of bullies are men; 58% of targets are women.4. Women bullies target women in 80% of cases.5. The majority of bullies are bosses, abusers of power.

ChallengesIn studying workplace abuse there’s little valid data about prevalence and patterns. The most useful and rigorous surveys on bullying have been conducted by the Namies’ Workplace Bullying Institute and Zogby, a respected survey research firm.

The results of this research shows the large amount of money that workplace bullying costs organizations and the diverse ways in which such abuse damages victims’ emotional, physical, and financial well-being. (Namie & Namie, 2011)

Challenges (continued)These studies yield strong evidence to justify Namies’ focus on organizations and individuals in positions of power as root causes of workplace bullying.

The Namies show how personality and upbringing is a significant factor in creating individuals whom are prone to bullying their colleagues and followers.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Workplace bullying is hostile and abusive. And abuse is potentially traumatizing.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workplace bullying is a form of workplace violence.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Workplace Violence

Beware: Workplace bullying can escalate to workplace violence.

Workplace violence is defined as any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse within a work setting.

The bottom line is that workplace bullying prevents work from getting completed; it’s interference. Bullying undermines the government agency’s mission and erodes profits.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

How Bullying Destroys Organizations

Bullying can be considered a public health calamity. It’s a malignancy that encroaches and destroys the workplace. Unaddressed, the problem spreads like a virus and threatens the integrity of the organization. Like any undesirable disease, it must be neutralized and abrogated. An organization’s health cannot be restored if it’s disregarded.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Warning Signs of a Bullyas seen by Upper Management

• Numerous complaints by employees.

• Notice that employees almost always agree with the supervisor.

• High staff turnover. It takes a unique type of person to succeed in roles supporting the supervisor.

• When you are told that one or more groups of employees are experiencing high levels of stress, you feel it’s the responsibility of those employees to better manage their feelings and perceptions.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Behaviors Frequently Used by Bullies

• Verbal bullying tactics – i.e., repeatedly using verbal aggression.

• Nonverbal bullying tactics – i.e., using nonverbal signals that denote disapproval.

• Practical bullying tactics – i.e., transmitting nasty emails to a colleague.

• Performance-related bullying tactics – i.e., continued unwarranted criticism of a colleague’s performance.(Oade, 2009)

“The intentions of workplace bullies are to select a colleague against whom they will mount a personalized campaign to undermine them and to employ a range of behavioral tactics (i.e., bullying dynamic in their relationship with you) against them.”

(Oade, 2009)

“The bully makes the relationship about power: their power

over you.” (Oade, 2009)

• A person using bullying behavior may have organizational authority over the person they are bullying, but it DOES NOT justify their behavior.

• Using a bullying approach is NOT EVER an alternative to effective management/leadership.

• Starting point for handling bullying behavior = cognizant that the behaviors and attributes they use ARE NOT excusable and DO NOT justify their tactics.

(Oade, 2009)

Leader’s Reactions to Bullying Behavior

• Denial

• Enable

• Excuses

If workplace bullying is tolerated, the message to the workforce is if anyone is subject to workplace bullying, they will be left to manage the situation

on their own.

(Oade, 2009)

Leader’s Responsibilities• Create bully-free work environment to include autonomy, individual challenges/mastery and clarity of tasks. Encourage open door policy.

• Improve management’s ability and sensitivity towards dealing with/responding to conflicts. Recognize bullying is happening. Trust reports; take seriously and investigate promptly. Conduct findings of fact analysis; intervene, if necessary. Conduct employee attitude surveys. Hold bullies accountable!

• Support organization’s anti-bullying campaign. Hold awareness campaigns for everyone. Create zero tolerance anti-bullying policy.

• Embrace employees’ health and well-being. (Namie & Namie, 2011; Majersky & Hughes, 2013)

“It’s a leader’s responsibility to create a work environment that is free from bullying. It’s not HR’s job! Bullying is too serious to be left to those without the power to compel compliance with new standards of practice or new ways to behave interpersonally.”

(Namie & Namie, 2011) 

Benefits of Addressing Disruptive Behavior

• Improved staff satisfaction and retention.• Enhanced reputation for the organization.• Creates a culture of professionals.• Important role models for others.• Improves employee safety and quality of

performance.• Reduced liability exposure and

management.• More civil, productive and desirable

workplace.

Responding Effectively to Workplace Bullying

For the bully:

1. Attend communications skills training.

2. Attend anger management courses.

3. Attend remedial supervisory skills training.

4. Be held accountable for their actions.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Responding Effectively to Workplace Bullying

For the individual being bullied:Goal: Equip you with the insight, knowledge, skills, interpersonal strategies and intrapersonal awareness that will enable you to

respond to bullying behavior effectively.

1. Address bullying behavior when it happens: assert yourself, so that you retain control of the situation as much as possible and demonstrate to the bully that their tactics will not control you.

2. Document what is happening to you. Make a formal complaint, so that others get involved.3. Seek support from family and friends.4. Eat a balanced diet.5. Exercise regularly.

(Oade, 2009; Hughes & Majersky, 2012)

Responding Effectively to Workplace Bullying (continued)

6. Plan special treats for you.7. Seek professional help.8. Protect your self-esteem, self-confidence and emotional well-being.9. Preserve your personal power and maintain healthy boundaries.10. Embrace faith.11. Seek alternate employment.

(Oade, 2009; Hughes & Majersky, 2012)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• EAP services are designed for federal employees and supervisors as well as family and household members. Whether it’s work-related or a personal concern, it doesn’t matter. EAP helps to secure services to support you, your family, and your household members.

• Federal employees can access:counseling servicesreferrals and federal resources

Options for USPHS Officers• USPHS Commissioned Corps Instructions:a. CC26.1.5 = Grievances (in seeking prompt and fair resolution of issues related to working conditions such as working environment, working relationships with supervisors, other personnel) dated 4/16/01.b. CC26.1.6 = Equal opportunity: discrimination complaints processing dated 12/21/01.• First resolve at lowest level; use chain of command.• Contact agency USPHS liaison and/or CPO.

Consider the Namies’ powerful advice:

“Do not attempt to put the bully and target across the table from one another to find common ground unless the bullying has caused no severe consequences for the target.”

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Healthy Workplace Act of 2010 • Passed state legislatures in New York and Illinois.

• Bills addressed workplace bullying by prohibiting continuous, health-hazardous, malicious, and abusive mistreatment by anyone in the workplace.

• As of April 2011, the Healthy Workplace Bill had been introduced in 21 state legislatures.

• Canada has four provincial and one federal regulation addressing bullying.

• All other Western industrialized nations have laws in place.

• Soon, all U.S. employers will be required to abate and prevent bullying from transpiring in the workplace.

• Relatedly, states will enact laws addressing workplace bullying.

(Namie & Namie, 2011)

Recommendations Forward

• Develop and implement:(1) Organizational policy; and

(2) MANDATORY ANNUAL training on workplace bullying.

What sort of legacy do you want to leave as a USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer and Leader?

Questions