By Earl Horlyk
Sioux City Journal
April 14, 2008
Bullying doesn't just take place in the playground. It may be happening in your workplace too.
In fact, according to psychologist Gary Namie, bullying in the workplace has reached "epidemic proportion."
"Thirty-seven percent of American workers have reported being bullied at the workplace," he said, citing a recent Zogby poll, "and another 12 percent have said they have witnessed it happening."
"Including these witnesses," Namie said, "workplace bullying has affected nearly half of all American workers."
That's why Namie, co-founder of the Washington-based Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) with his wife, Ruth, will be conducting a professional development session from 2 to 4 p.m., today at West High School.
The session, in partnership with the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention, will be at West's Media Center.
Previewing his "Workplace Bullying -- the New Harassment" presentation, Namie agreed to do a Q & A with the Sioux City Journal.
Sioux City Journal: "Why is workplace bullying considered a new sort of harassment? Hasn't it been going on forever?"
Namie: "Yes it has, but it's been like a dirty little secret. People know that sexual harassment is illegal but bullying is four times as prevalent. (Bullying) has been a silent epidemic because people felt they couldn't talk about it and because they knew employers would look the other way and do nothing about it. The WBI has been working with state legislatures and the courts in an attempt to effect anti-bullying state laws. We've also been working with progressive businesses to recognize its impact on their employees."
Journal: "What's the difference between acceptable, routine conduct versus abusive bullying?
Namie: "Workplace bullying doesn't mean merely being rude to a subordinate. The workplace bully publicly humiliates a co-worker, deliberately sabotages a co-worker's career, verbally threatens, or even physically threatens the co-worker. The impact on the bullied co-worker can range from anxiety, depression, all the way up to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)."
Journal: "Why is workplace bullying prevalent among educators in schools?"
Namie: "The kind of person drawn to teaching wants to develop and educate people. That person may be a nurturing type of person who'd rather turn the other cheek than confront the bully. Everything that makes that person a good teacher also makes them an easy mark for a narcissistic, egotistical bully."
Journal: "What impact does it have on students?"
Namie: "The impact is great. Forty-five percent of the people who experience bullying also experience stress-related health complications. This increases the rate of absenteeism which impacts the teacher's ability to teach your child. A good teacher may even decide the work isn't worthwhile because of the abuse. How can a teacher tell a student that it's wrong bullying others if it happens to the teacher? How much credibility will this teacher have with the student?
