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Bullying can happen at any age in any environment. When there’s bullying in the workplace, where we spend a significant amount of our waking lives, it takes a tremendous toll on both employee well-being and organizational effectiveness. Whether bullying is obvious, such as yelling and belittling, or more covert, it can contribute to a toxic work environment that chips away at a person’s well-being and undermines their productivity and job performance. Bullying in the workplace is common, affecting about 30% of the workforce.
So, how do you deal with bullying in the workplace? By empowering managers and leaders to identify the signs and foster a culture of respect, we pave the way for a positive work environment.
What is bullying in the workplace?
It’s hard to pin down an exact definition of workplace bullying because hostile treatment between team members takes many forms, from harsh comments to blatant intimidation. These acts are rarely isolated but rather occur repeatedly over time, creating a hostile environment. Perpetrators of bullying at work can be managers, colleagues, or those in subordinate positions.
Identifying the type of bullying in the workplace is an important first step in responding appropriately. Most incidents can be grouped into one of these general categories:
- Serial bullying. A person exhibits repeated aggressive or hostile behavior toward one or more teammates. A serial bully may shift targets, switching from one to another over time.
- Mobbing. Mobbing occurs when multiple teammates gang up on one or more people. Sometimes, high-achieving employees are targeted by peers who feel insecure about their status in the organization.
- Regulation bullying. A regulation bully will unnecessarily hold certain teammates to more demanding standards than others, particularly around breaking team rules.
- Corporate bullying. Corporate bullying occurs when a team member uses work tools to attack someone’s privacy, usually through over-surveillance of that person. Video surveillance, for example, is a common tactic.
- Pressure bullying. The bully pressures others to overwork in high-stress environments.
Some specific workplace bullying examples include:
- Blatant insults or harsh or belittling comments
- Backhanded compliments, sarcasm, or passive-aggressive behavior (“Nice job on that project, you did surprisingly well.”)
- Gossiping, spreading rumors, or making false accusations, or failing to stop these behaviors
- Excluding someone from an important meeting or social event
- Assigning the most difficult projects or an unusually heavy workload to a specific team member
- Repeatedly making negative comments without thinking before speaking
- Unjustifiably criticizing someone’s work or putting them down
- Posting offensive comments or photos on social media
Causes of bullying in the workplace
Why do some employees use their precious time and energy to bully others? There are many potential motivations for workplace bullying.
Jealousy – A workplace bully might be jealous of a talented co-worker who receives attention and praise. Or, if someone feels their social standing at work is threatened by another’s popularity, they may target that person.
Control – It’s common for workplace bullies to use their rank, power, or influence to control or manipulate others. Some people gain a sense of control by creating divisions among the people around them. For example, an employee may lash out against co-workers who embody a spirit of collaboration because they feel threatened.
Personal and family issues – People who bully often have low self-esteem and build themselves up by breaking others down. They may have been bullied themselves in the past or grown up in a family that wasn’t warm or supportive or didn’t teach appropriate social skills.
Cultural causes – Stereotypes and implicit bias can also play a role. Workplace bullying is frequently directed against people whom the perpetrator perceives as “different,” whether that’s related to race, gender, sexuality, or another identity. If a person makes negative comments or actions based on a legally protected status, it can be considered harassment, which gives the victim legal rights to stop the behavior.
Institutional causes – An unhealthy environment can be a breeding ground for bullying in the workplace. If leaders don’t enforce discrimination or harassment policies, look the other way when someone is being mistreated, or offer promotions to bullies, the behavior is likely to escalate. Similarly, if employees feel dissatisfied with their work environment, often due to lack of autonomy, perceived unfairness, or excessive workloads, they may be more likely to engage in workplace bullying. There can also be a “mirroring effect” where employees imitate leaders. If the leader is a bully, the individual contributors may mimic this behavior.
Costs of bullying in the workplace
The costs of workplace bullying are profound, for both the bully and victims as well as the organization.
Employee health
Bullying in the workplace can contribute to depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, adjustment disorders, and other types of mental distress. Physical health is also at stake, as prolonged stress at work can lead to stress-related illnesses, musculoskeletal disorders, pain, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal complaints, and other health conditions.
Higher health care costs
Bullying at work is also costly for organizations. Physical and mental health issues make it harder for employees to do their jobs and can result in more leaves of absence and higher health care costs for employers.
Reduced productivity
According to a Harvard Business Review survey, 48% of people who reported experiencing incivility at work decreased their work effort, and 47% decreased time spent at work. A whopping 80% of respondents said that worrying about the incident had cut into their work time, and 63% lost work time while trying to avoid the person who was uncivil to them. When asked to gauge their work performance, more than half—66%—reported that their performance had declined because of the unpleasant interactions. Just over three-quarters (78%) of respondents reported lower levels of commitment to their organization.
Higher absenteeism and turnover
Absenteeism and turnover are also concerns. Those who experience bullying in the workplace or observe bullying secondhand take an average of seven more sick days per year than other employees. In the same survey, 20% of surveyed respondents used sick leave to escape bullying, and more than half (60%) considered leaving the job.
Legal consequences
When left unaddressed, bullying at work can escalate to harassment and violence. In some situations, employers can face increased workers’ compensation claims for a hostile environment or damages for harassment. According to the National Workplace Bullying Coalition, the average cost to defend a harassment lawsuit is $250,000 and hidden costs of harassment are between $300 and $1,000 on average per employee annually.
How to deal with workplace bullying
You can take steps to create a psychologically safe, inclusive workplace. Even small changes can make a big difference.
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Know the signs
Watch for telltale signs of bullying in the workplace, such as:
- Berating, criticizing, or publicly embarrassing others
- Taking credit for others’ work or dismissing others’ input and accomplishments
- Coercing others into things
- Excluding certain people from conversations, decision-making processes, or social events
- Lying or misrepresenting information
- Dismissing other people’s concerns
- Intimidating or threatening fellow teammates
- Undermining others’ work; for example, by setting unrealistic expectations, keeping others from needed information or resources, or interfering with their work
- Gaslighting
- Engaging in emotional manipulation, especially using shame or guilt as a weapon
- Creating division and unhealthy competition
- Leveling unfair or excessive criticism
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Develop and enforce anti-bullying policies
It’s not enough to disallow workplace bullying in theory. To make a safer work environment, you need policies around exclusion, incivility, and other acts of bullying. These policies should be clear on the procedure for handling these behaviors and the consequences for engaging in them.
Manager training is an important part of anti-bullying policy. Managers should be educated about bullying at work and empowered to take steps to reduce it. If they don’t feel confident enforcing the policy, it may become ineffective.
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Model respect and inclusive behavior
Modeling respect and inclusion sends a message about what kind of behavior is expected at work. Make sure that you:
- Are civil and courteous to everyone
- Avoid favoritism
- Include all necessary teammates in important decisions and give transparent explanations if more selective decision-making groups must be formed
- Get to know all team members
- Respond positively and supportively when a team member asks for help or reports a problem
- Be receptive to other people’s ideas
- Recognize other people’s contributions privately and publicly
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Encourage open communication
If you’ve created a work culture where employees feel that they can approach management with concerns and that management will take their concerns seriously, they’re more likely to come forward and report bullying. If and when an employee discloses this, listen attentively and investigate their claims promptly.
Build a culture of fairness and respect
Putting an end to bullying in the workplace isn’t just a matter of policy; it’s a crucial step toward nurturing your people and the fabric of your organization. Every small stride toward change holds the potential for significant impact, shaping a work environment where every member feels valued and respected.
Give every employee the environment to succeed
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