Workplace Bullying 2

In this blog I will continue my analysis of the article “Workplace Bullying Often Goes Unpunished” which was published on “BusinessNewsDaily.com”. Previously I discussed some statistical information regarding the occurrence of workplace bullying and the characteristics of workplace bullies. On this occasion the statistical information I will be focusing on deals with how individuals react to bullying within the workplace setting.

According to the article, a recent study conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute revealed that employers are not taking the necessary steps to stop or diminish workplace bullying. In fact, the study states that 25% of employers did not investigate the bullying claims, 31% discounted the bullying claims as “not serious” or considered it routine, 11% defended the bullies, and 5% encouraged the bullying abuse. Personality flaws and deficiencies in work-related skills were two reasons cited by the article as causes of workplace bullying. In addition, the article states that a lack of accountability encouraged bullies to feel safe from facing any consequences as a result of their bullying actions.

What seems to be occurring in the workplace is a feature previously discussed within another blog, which is the normalization of bullying behavior. Employers, which are supposed to be the individuals who set proper behavioral workplace standards, are not fulfilling their expectations. Instead, employers are downplaying bullying behavior and in a manner fueling bullying by accepting its existence. It is often the case that children look up to their parents and follow their example. As a result, it may be that adult bullying inconspicuously leads to bullying in children. It may be that children are observing the bullying behavior of adults, perhaps even their parents, and are mimicking their behaviors. Over time the bullying behaviors may become a “normal” occurrence to children. If this is the case, then perhaps bullying that occurs among adults, such as workplace bullying, is the type of bullying that should be especially targeted by researchers.

An unfortunate statistic revealed by the study is that in 61% of the cases where the workplace bullying incident managed to end, the bullying victim lost their job due to resignation, being fired, or being forced to quit. However, the article does note that “93% of U.S. employees [would] support the enactment of a new law that would protect all workers from reported abusive mistreatment in the workplace.”

The fact that most individuals would support anti-bullying laws offers glimmers of hope for the future. It is uplifting to know the ability to produce legal changes against bullying remains within the reach. Society as a whole seems to acknowledge that the concept of bullying is wrong. However, what seems to be the major problem within society today is the recognition of bullying as an actual problem.