By Toni Bowers
Tech Republic
March 26, 2008
I've gotten a few e-mails from people who want advice on how to deal with bullies in the workplace. The word "bully" initially brings to mind someone who steals your lunch money. But the workplace bully is someone who can make your life a nightmare because he or she exercises a type of harassment that isn't addressed by current laws.
And the issue is prominent: Zogby International conducted 7,740 online interviews of a panel that is representative of the adult population of the United States. This is the largest national scientific survey of the bullying phenomenon in the United States to date. The survey found that:
37% of American workers (an estimated 54 million people) have been bullied at work. It affects about half (49%) of American workers (which is 71.5 million workers) when witnesses are included. Here are some of the other key findings:
Bullying is four times more prevalent than illegal forms of "harassment." American employers can and do ignore bullying. In 62% of the cases, when made aware of bullying, employers worsen the problem or simply do nothing, despite losing an estimated 21-28 million workers because of it.
The Workplace Bullying Institute is attempting to effect anti-bullying state laws. Thirteen states have introduced the WBI Healthy Workplace Bill since 2003.
