Archive for Workplace bullying

Help Prevent Workplace Violence: Be Aware

It’s no secret that we are living in stressful times.  Inflation, ongoing concerns about COVID, political and racial divide, anxiety around returning to the office after months of isolation…the list goes on. Sadly, some of this frustration has led to heinous acts of violence such as the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, and the many others since then.

Everyday situations turned deadly.

This calls on us all to be more aware of our surroundings – whether at large public events or at the smaller venues where we learn, where we play, where we shop, where we worship.

And where we work.

If you see something, say something. You may prevent someone from harming others or from harming himself/herself.

Pay attention when a coworker’s behavior or demeanor suddenly changes. Check in with them. Maybe they just need someone to talk to.  If you’re not comfortable doing that or they resist, consult with your manager or HR. If you see behaviors that are particularly alarming – bullying, threats (face-to-face or in writing), etc. – contact HR immediately. If you perceive that you or others are in immediate danger, call your security team or the police.

The hotline number for Workplace Violence Prevention and Response is: 1.877.987.3747.

Often, we get so busy with the multiple obligations we have – work, home, family – that we don’t notice the human interactions around us. Pay attention.

And leaders, if you are faced with or become aware of a potential harmful situation, send security or someone trained to deal with such incidents rather than putting staff members in that position.

There are a number of preventive measures that organizations can take to reduce the possibility of violent and harmful situations in the workplace.  We’ll talk about those in my next article.

If you need help preparing for or dealing with employee issues, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com

Whatever Happened to Professionalism?

Professionalism-1Unless you’ve been avoiding the news over the past year, you’ve probably noticed that the national conversation – and in many cases behavior – has become increasingly negative. From the White House’s terse Tweets, to a growing number of hate crimes, to the now-famous memo that stoked the fires of gender bias, respect, empathy and good manners seem to have gone out the window.

As I work with my corporate clients, I’m finding that this bad behavior is also increasing in the workplace. Hostile work environment, bullying and harassment claims are on the rise. Because of our current political climate, some people think they now have license to make personal attacks and behave in a way that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Lack of professionalism is, sadly, becoming normalized.

Take the example of Uber, whose “aggressive, unrestrained workplace culture” was described in a New York Times article:

“Interviews with more than 30 current and former Uber employees, as well as reviews of internal emails, chat logs and tape-recorded meetings, paint a picture of an often-unrestrained workplace culture. Among the most egregious accusations from employees, who either witnessed or were subject to incidents and who asked to remain anonymous because of confidentiality agreements and fear of retaliation: One Uber manager groped female co-workers’ breasts at a company retreat in Las Vegas. A director shouted a homophobic slur at a subordinate during a heated confrontation in a meeting. Another manager threatened to beat an underperforming employee’s head in with a baseball bat.”

This culture ultimately led to an investigation, the firing of several executives and the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick, who, as the top executive, had set the tone for the culture.

Work environments like this are especially challenging for those responsible for HR issues, especially when the tolerance or example of bad behavior starts at the top.

Next time, I’ll provide some tips for maintaining or bringing back professionalism in your organization.

Identifying and Preventing Workplace Bullying

Man holding and shouting at co-worker

In a survey conducted by Dr. Judy Blando of the University of Phoenix, nearly 75% of respondents said they had been affected by workplace bullying, either as a target or a witness. That’s shocking. What’s even more shocking is that so often bullying goes unreported, and when it is reported the targets are often the ones that bear the consequences. According to a recent article in business.com, targets lose their jobs at a significantly higher rate than perpetrators (82% vs. 18 %).

This is short-sighted on the part of employers, because bullying impacts not only the targets, but other employees who witness it, as well as customers. Chances are if someone is a bully to those inside your organization, they will be a bully to those outside the organization.

I’ve seen this first-hand. A company I was working with hired a new sales manager. Over time, the sales manager’s team began to complain about a number of things. He wasn’t cooperating with the rest of the team. He would get in people’s faces. He took credit for other people’s work. He would over promise to customers, and when he couldn’t deliver, he would blame others for it. All of these are signs of a bully. The company owner was reluctant to take action. It was hard for him to admit he’d made a bad hire. This is pretty typical. In fact, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 72% of employers deny, discount, encourage, rationalize or defend bullying.

I encouraged the owner to explore what was happening internally, and to consider that it might be impacting the company’s image externally. Following an investigation, the sales manager was fired. Not long after that, two customers called the owner to say that they had been on the verge of moving their business because of the way this individual had treated them.  Bad behavior is bad for business!

Often bullying can be subtle. And often bullies pick on targets whom others describe as amiable, easy-going, kind. Bullying is abuse, plain and simple. Here are some things to watch for. A bully may:

  • Consistently ignore the target, or exclude them from team meetings, conversations, or outings
  • Be overly critical of the target’s work, with the goal of making them feel inadequate or unworthy
  • Create a hostile work environment by igniting conflict or competition among team members
  • Yell or use abusive language to others
  • Physically block the target from entering or exiting, or invade the target’s personal space
  • Take credit for work that is not their own
  • Blame others for their mistakes
  • Give false information or withhold information to discredit the target
  • Purposely prevent the target’s progress on a work project

Preventing bullying in the workplace starts by making good hires. Craft your behavioral interview questions to draw out any red flags from the candidate’s previous experience. Communicate to employees that abusive behavior/bullying will not be tolerated. Create an environment where all employees feel comfortable sharing concerns with their leader or HR. Be observant. Notice and take action when you see bad behavior. Develop and communicate a process for reporting and response. Keep accurate records.

If you have concerns about bullying in your organization, please feel free to contact me.

 

Bad Behavior is Bad for Business

Bullying-3You only have to glance at the news to get the feeling that workplace bullying and harassment are on the rise. Bill O’Reilly was called out recently for his behavior toward women at Fox News, as Roger Ailes had been accused before him. As of a few days ago, more than 50 companies had pulled their advertising dollars from The O’Reilly Factor.

Clearly, bad behavior is bad for business.

Most of us are familiar with what constitutes harassment. However, I think a reminder is useful.

California law prohibits workplace discrimination and harassment in employment based on:

  • Ancestry
  • Age (40 and above)
  • Color
  • Disability (physical and mental, including HIV and AIDS)
  • Genetic information
  • Gender, gender identity or gender expression
  • Marital status
  • Medical condition (genetic characteristics, cancer or a record or history of cancer)
  • Military or veteran status
  • National origin
  • Race
  • Religion (includes religious dress and grooming practices)
  • Sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions)
  • Sexual orientation

Harassment may refer to derogatory comments, slurs or propositions; epithets; assault; blocking movement; offensive touching; physical interference with normal work or movement; and visual insults, such as derogatory posters or cartoons.

California law also requires that employers with 50 or more employees provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training for all supervisors. This training should be given when someone is first promoted to a supervisor position, and then every two years thereafter.

Workplace bullying, as defined by the Workplace Bullying Institute, is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is:

  • Threatening, humiliating or intimidating, or
  • Work interference that prevents work from getting done, or
  • Verbal abuse

Workplace situations of harassment or bullying impact not only the victims, but also other employees and, potentially, customers who either witness or experience the abusive behavior. Bullies tend to be equal opportunity perpetrators.

In my next blog, I’ll share a specific example of how bullying nearly lost a company several key clients, and I’ll give you some tips for recognizing and preventing bad behavior in your organization.

Blog Categories

Want to stay connected?

Connect to HR | Strategic HR Advisors & Executive Coaching
Copyright © 2018 - 2022 All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Crafted by Reddington Solutions