Tag Archives: bullying

Workplace Bullying Lessons

bullying, Discrimination, ,

Workplace Bullying Lessons

Workplace Bullying Lessons

Workplace Bullying Lessons

 

 

Diversity makes a difference
Remember this 1964 Burl Ives Classic remake of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer? He has some bullying lessons for us? He was that cute little guy who was banished to the island of misfit toys because of his red nose, all a target of bullying. While many of us grew up on this Christmas fable, this story and others taught youngsters, and then adults, that picking on the different kid… that bullying was all right, just part of growing up. The rite of passage was bullying for many. In this charming story, Rudolf eventually prevails when he saves Christmas Eve, despite being rejected and a constant target of bullying.

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Embrace your Rudolfs

However at work, bullying and picking on different staff can not only create turnover, it can cost organizations close to $64 billion a year. YES! with a B— bullying costs in the BILLIONS.  Bullying, which includes excluding people from meetings, lunches, and social functions, is not child’s play. This bullying behavior affects 37% of the workplace, and has often been deemed the silent epidemic. What is ironic, it is the diversity in thinking and talents that makes for innovation. Bullying kills this innovation.  Bullying creates a non productive environment.  Bullying at work destroys the office culture. If Rudolf was not different with his red nose, he couldn’t save the day. Similarly, people with different ideas create wonderful solutions in Facebook, cell phones, art, cooking, and in business.  If they were busy fighting off bullying, they would spend more time defending themselves from bullying and less time creating. The lessons learned include: embrace your Rudolfs. Curtail workplace bullying and allow innovation to flourish.

Sticks and Stones…

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Sticks & stones break your bones…
But words can break a heart…

Sticks & stones break your bones…
But words can break a heart…

Sticks & stones break your bones…
But words can break a heart…

Given the unfortunate deaths of various students in the last year, several states, organizations and school districts are committing to anti-bullying training.

As no child will thrive in a hostile environment, the same applies to the workplace.  Workplace bullying, much like school bullying, is on the rise, and intervention must be put into place to avoid a possible lawsuit or complaint.

The targets of bullies tend to be those outside of the mainstream in either schools or the workplace.  In schools, they are typically children with disabilities, who are overweight, those with BiGala parents, etc.  In the work place, they have a different ethnic or racial background and they usually sit outside of the power structure.

Patricia Berkly LLC recommends two types of inventions to quell workplace bullying:

1)      Group training.  When a culture is trained to identify, quarantine and eradicate bullying, the workplace is a safer place.  Patricia Berkly training would assist staff members in identifying bullying and empower staff to address it head on.  Further, training would include policy analysis and implementation.  While staff may be trained, the organization also needs to have an early alert system, a sanctuary where targets can report issues, and a clearly defined organizational time line to address the problem.

2)      Individual interventions.  Patricia Berkly LLC will work with individuals to create candid interventions for those who exhibit bullying tendencies. Individual interventions would include developing strategic solutions to comply with the organization’s anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, also establishing a leadership action plan for productive engagement with his or her staff.

Guard against bullying in your work place.  Have proper training and intervention s to create a positive, inclusive and productive workplace.