Abusive Workplace Bullying Affects 48% of Americans While Employer Reactions Lag

Abusive Workplace Bullying Affects 48% of Americans While Employer Reactions Lag

Results of scientific 2014 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey shows epidemic prevalence, women bearing the brunt of the bullying, employers failing to protect the bullied, and nearly unanimous support for creating a new law.

NEW BRITAIN, CT — Feb. 25 — The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) defined workplace bullying as “abusive conduct that is threatening, intimidating, humiliating, work sabotage or verbal abuse” in its 2014 national survey. Key results: 27% of all adult Americans have directly experienced it, 21% have witnessed it, 56% of perpetrators are bosses, 68% of perpetrators are men, and 60% of targets (recipients) are women.

Since WBI introduced workplace bullying to the country in 1997 public awareness has risen to 72% according to the new survey. Similarly positive is that the percentage of bullies who are bosses has declined over the years.

Employers do little to stop workplace bullying. The majority (72%) reacted to complaints in inappropriate ways: 25% did not investigate, 31% either discounted it as not serious or considered it routine, 11% defended bullies, and 5% actively encouraged the abuse.

In cases where bullying ended, targets lost their jobs 61% of the time — either terminated, forced to quit (constructively discharged), or voluntarily quit.

“Unfortunately the victims of this serious health-harming abuse are the ones asked to stop it,” says WBI director Dr. Gary Namie, “If there were a law as in Canada and other industrialized nations, employers would have to protect workers.”

According to the survey an overwhelming majority of Americans (93%) supported enactment of a new law that would protect all workers from repeated abusive mistreatment at work. Only 1% strongly opposed such a measure.

WBI commissioned Zogby Analytics to conduct the survey of a national representative sample of all adult Americans (MOE ± 3.2%). Crowdfunded on Indiegogo with major support from OnLock Digital Authentication LLC.

WBI is the first and only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals, research, books, public education, training for professionals-unions-employers, legislative advocacy, and consulting solutions for organizations. 

Poor Employer Reactions to Abusive Workplace Bullying Trigger 93% Public Support for Healthy Workplace Bill

Poor Employer Reactions to Abusive Workplace Bullying Trigger 93% Public Support for New Law

Results of scientific 2014 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey shows epidemic prevalence. Despite this, employers fail to protect targeted employees, resulting in nearly unanimous support for creating a new law.

NEW BRITAIN, CT— Feb. 25 — The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) defined workplace bullying as “abusive conduct that is threatening, intimidating, humiliating, work sabotage or verbal abuse” in its 2014 national survey. Key results: 27% of all adult Americans have directly experienced it, 21% have witnessed it, 56% of perpetrators are bosses.

Since WBI introduced workplace bullying to the country in 1997 public awareness has risen to 72% according to the new survey. Despite this awareness, employers do little to stop workplace bullying.

The majority (72%) of employers reacted to complaints in inappropriate ways: 25% did not investigate, 31% either discounted it as not serious or considered it routine, 11% defended bullies, and 5% actively encouraged the abuse.

“Unfortunately the victims of this serious health-harming abuse are the ones asked to stop it,” says WBI director Dr. Gary Namie, “If there were a law as in Canada and other industrialized nations, employers would have to protect workers.”

According to the survey an overwhelming majority of Americans (93%) supported enactment of a new law that would protect all workers from repeated abusive mistreatment at work. Only 1% strongly opposed such a measure.

“Because of the strong public support and the stories from Connecticut citizens we are seeking sponsors in the legislature now” says Katherine Hermes, State Co-Coordinator to enact the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill and Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University. (Other coordinators are Lynne Appell-Munday of Newtown, a nurse, and Mary Beth Nelsen, a business consultant, of Oxford.) “This year could be a breakthrough year for us.” A new petition with 165 signatures is still active, and in the past petitions with nearly 300 signatures have been presented to the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee.

WBI commissioned Zogby Analytics to conduct the survey of a national representative sample of all adult Americans (MOE ± 3.2%).

The Healthy Workplace Campaign is a national initiative to enact state laws to address abusive conduct in the American workplace. State Coordinators form a network of volunteer advocates. To date, 26 states have introduced a version of the model legislation, the Healthy Workplace Bill. Connecticut was the 12th state to introduce the Healthy Workplace Bill, but the last time was in 2008, when now-retired Sen. Edith Prague introduced and held a public hearing for her bill SB 60 co-sponsored by Reps. Kevin Ryan and Roberta Willis. The bill was withdrawn. Since then other public hearings have been held, but no bill has been put forward. “We hope new members of the Labor and Public Employees Committee are on board,” said Mary Beth Nelsen of Oxford, CT, State Co-Coordinator with Hermes, “as year after year workers have made it clear in the state that they want this law.”

On Thursday, February 27, 2014, Dr. Katherine Hermes will discuss the work of Connecticut Healthy Workplace Advocates, as well as the current initiative to enact anti-bullying legislation in our state, on the New London Greens' public access TV show "Thinking Green."  The show airs live on on MetroCast channel 25 from 7:00-7:55pm; call-ins are welcome. Recordings of the show will be available on additional public access stations at a later date. The New London Greens have produced the show, which is recorded live from the MetroCast studio in Waterford, CT, since 2004.

 

2014 Legislative Session Begins Feb. 5: We Need a Healthy Workplace Bill in Connecticut!

Connecticut Healthy Workplace Advocates are an all-volunteer, grassroots group, and the Advocates support the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill. 

Please sign the petition linked below:

Current laws do not address workplace bullying/abusive conduct
•35% of adult Americans experience workplace bullying (WBI 2010 U.S. National Survey) That is approximately 54 million Americans! 
•Workplace bullying share similar characteristics to domestic violence
•Harm includes stress-related diseases (cardiovascular, immunological, gastrointestinal), plus anxiety, clinical depression and PTSD.
•Without laws, employers can legally ignore this abusive conduct, and do.

That's why I created a petition to The Connecticut State House, The Connecticut State Senate, and Governor Dan Malloy, which says:

"Support the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill, which creates a legal claim for targets of workplace bullying, mobbing, or other abusive conduct at work who can establish that they were subjected to malicious, health-harming behavior. It also provides defenses for employers who act preventatively and responsively with regard to bullying and includes provisions to discourage frivolous claims. 

Existing laws require harassment to be discriminatory. Either race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation is required to be illegal. Approximately two-thirds of all harassment is 'status-blind' and legal. In 1998, the Washington Post editorialized "what bothers people about abusive workplace conduct, after all, is not the fact that it may be discriminatory but that it is abusive in the first place." 

The Healthy Workplace Bill substitutes health-imp airment for discrimination, and extends protection to all employees, working for either public or private employers, regardless of protected group status, who seek redress for being subjected to an abusive work environment. It becomes unlawful to be subjected to another employee whose malicious conduct sabotages or undermines the targeted person's work performance. Furthermore, the bill holds the bullying employee directly liable for the unlawful employment practice and punishes retaliation of the complainant. 

Individual plaintiffs must rely solely on private attorneys. The State has no enforcement role. No government bureaucracy will be created or funded. Individuals may accept workers' compensation benefits in lieu of bringing action under this bill. 

The bill seeks to compel employer prevention through internal policies and enforcement. No new employer regulations are created. " 

Will you sign my petition? Click here to add your name: 

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/i-support-the-healthy-1?source=c.fwd&r_by=6902567 

Thanks! 

Kathy Hermes

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ConnecticutHealthyWorkplaceAdvocates

Facebook Closed Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cthwa/

Connecticut Valley Hospital Bullying Survey Results

Connecticut Valley Hospital Bullying Survey Results

by David Samuels on Friday, July 13, 2012 at 11:17pm ·

"Highlights" from the survey... 

"I have encountered bullying situations at work."  70.6% of CVH workers "strongly agree". 20.7 % "agree".

"I have felt bullied when interacting with a CVH manager / supervisor." 59.9%  "strongly agree". 16.5% "agree".

"I have felt bullied when interacting with a CVH manager / supervisor in my unit / program." 54.0 % "strongly agree". 16.2 % "agree".

"I have felt bullied when interacting with a CVH co-worker."  39.6% "strongly agree". 20.2 % "agree".

"I have felt bullied when interacting with a CVH co-worker in my unit / program."  37.5 %  "strongly agree". 20.8 % "agree".

"I feel that bullying is an accepted part of the culture at CVH." 54.1 % "strongly agree." 25.7% "agree".

"I reported bullying and there was a positive resolution of my concerns." 61.6%  "strongly disagree". 24.5% "disagree".

"I fear retaliation for reporting bullying or other hostile behavior."  66.6% "strongly agree". 17.1 % "agree".

CVH was supposed to have released the results of this survey on May 23rd. They have not yet shared these numbers with CVH employees. Support the Connecticut - Healthy Workplace Bill!  https://www.facebook.com/#!/ConnecticutHealthyWorkplaceAdvocates Contact CTHWA Co- Coordinators Kathy Hermes and Lynne Appell-Munday at ctbullybusters@gmail.org