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Don’t tolerate bullies
By Lauren | April 2, 2010
Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s turn to a topic that’s been much in the news of late. The recent, tragic suicide of Phoebe Prince has made bullying in the schools a prime topic of discussion nationwide. But bullying doesn’t stop when you graduate and enter the working world.
There’s plenty of evidence that bullying in the workplace is an all too common problem. Some experts estimate that at least 45% (in other words, almost half) of employees either become the target of workplace bullying or are forced to witness it. Neither is good for morale. And, while several states have introduced legislation to address workplace bullying, no federal preventive legislation is likely to pass any time soon.
There’s a pervasive myth out there that bullying - as opposed to harassment on the basis of sex, race, religion, disability, and various other protected statuses - is not illegal. It’s just not that simple. If the bullying is based on an employee’s protected status, it can create the kind of hostile or offensive environment that employment discrimination laws prohibit. There are also state laws that address common law claims like negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment, or interference in business relationships that can provide a platform for a lawsuit based on bullying.
If you as an employer fail to protect your employees from bullying (or, Heaven forbid, indulge in bullying yourself), you may be putting your company at risk of an expensive and embarrassing lawsuit. Besides, protecting your employees from bullying is just the right thing to do. Your employees come to your premises to work, not to be tortured or teased. We’re long past the playground, folks - time to grow up and behave like civilized adults.
The Workplace Bullying Institute’s website is packed with great information on bullying in the workplace. Check it out here.
Topics: Business Ethics, Risk Management, Social Ethics, business communications, corporate responsibility, ethics |
April 4th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
One way to avoid workplace bullies is by doing research about potential bosses on sites like eBossWatch.