How workplace bullying affects your goals

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Unique organizations do not tolerate exploitation. But unfortunately, almost every organization has, at least, one person who is well-known as a bully. Workplace bullies can be big or small, but they often wield immense power. Bullying behavior in the workplace always has a negative impact on every part of the organization—including its core mission.

Bullying at work also causes serious personal injury. And now there is a call, in some places, to deal with it. For example, the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom now expects organizations not only to report non-financial misconduct (including bullying) but also to provide information on how they recognize it and how to address it. I believe it is time.

Here’s how workplace bullying affects teams—and what can be done to deal with workplace bullying.

How workplace bullying affects a business’s bottom line

Groups define their bottom lines differently. For some organizations, the “bottom line” is a financial measure such as profit. For others, it has a broader meaning. For example, the “bottom line” of some organizations relates to how their work affects people, the planet, and other ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) measures.

But no matter how the bottom line is defined, bullying always has a negative impact. Because the engine of an organization is its people. The fuel of any team is employee energy, motivation, and dedication. A culture of intimidation created and maintained by bullying can be poison in the oil.

The American Psychological Association estimates that bullying causes US businesses to lose $300 billion each year due to direct and indirect consequences, such as lower productivity, absenteeism, turnover, and legal costs.

There are two main reasons this happens. First, bullying has a significant detrimental effect on people’s mental health and well-being and affects their ability to perform at work.

Working in a toxic culture created by bullies in the workplace can lead to increased and sustained levels of stress and exacerbate existing mental and physical health challenges. Bullying behavior can lead to a loss of self-esteem and confidence in those targeted. And bystanders and witnesses can also be affected.

Bullied employees will spend a lot of energy waiting for the next move or will adjust their work to avoid the bullies. Sometimes victims will deliberately waste time. Sometimes victims will spend a lot of effort trying to please the bully to avoid being targeted, but this can happen if the bully abuses their credibility.

When employees feel exploited the quality of work decreases and productivity decreases. Levels of engagement, creativity, and collaboration suffer. And a culture of harassment in the workplace can have a negative impact on an employer’s reputation, sometimes on a global scale. Finally, there are significant financial costs associated with bullying if an employee decides to sue the organization for injury.

Taken together, these are major expenses that definitely affect the bottom line of the business. And yet, companies often silently accept or ignore workplace bullying. Therefore, in silence, people strengthen the cult of abuse and allow the perpetrators to continue.

What are the actions?

Workplace bullying occurs when there is an imbalance of power. Bullying behavior can vary from subtle actions, such as staring, to overt and aggressive actions such as yelling.

The intensity and severity of bullying behavior can have a greater impact than quantity. Examples of bullying behavior include ignoring the person, not giving them all the information they need to do their job, or putting them down.

Some bullies will use business functions to gain power, such as abusing the evaluation system and ensuring that goals are not met. They can also destroy projects and blame others. Often this bullying behavior is subtle, rarely are there instances of overt misbehavior such as yelling and screaming or being incredibly volatile.

Collective bullying, often referred to as “bullying,” can mean that a group has a plan to use one or more of the above to target an individual. In some organizations, these groups hold power and have done so for years.

Characteristics of workplace bullies

These behaviors are not limited to those who might be categorized as Machiavellian or sociopathic. A person may be very insecure, competitive, jealous, or simply conform to the current business culture. A bully may not know better. Of course this can explain the bully’s actions, but it doesn’t excuse it.

People who bully others can have a variety of characteristics. They may find it difficult to admit fault, apologize and change. They may deny using toxic behavior and operate outside of social norms and organizational rules. Most workplace bullies are actually emotionally intelligent, charming, and persuasive—but they don’t care about their influence on others.

It can be challenging for a workplace bully to change their ways unless the bully acknowledges the need to change. The first step is to help them admit the problem.

Sometimes, victims do not have the courage to speak up and may endure the situation due to limited options. Sometimes, they can become so used to being bullied that they may seek it out. For example, I once knew a junior employee who had been the victim of years of organized bullying. They were asked why they were sitting. They said, “At least here I know what they will do.”

However, some of his victims and supporters found the courage to solve the problem—or find another job.

How to deal with workplace bullying and renew your sense of purpose

The first step is to admit that bullying and other toxic behavior exists in your organization and that it has a very negative effect. Until we say and admit that workplace bullying exists in our organizations, nothing will change. Bring your courage. Then others will find it easier to be brave.

Acknowledging and saying publicly that it must stop must be a clear message from the leadership. If leaders are involved in workplace harassment, the board must address the issue.

Be aware of incidents of workplace bullying. Ensure that people have the freedom to speak freely about their experiences and consider providing anonymity if necessary. Check your policies and procedures to make sure they are effective and are being used appropriately to deal with bad behavior. Then, plan for change.

Establish a culture of mutual accountability where you praise good behavior and deal with bad behavior with dignity and respect. Help bullies admit, adapt, and change. Provide them with support and training. This will take time.

Provide support to those targeted, help them recover and feel safe enough to work again. Address any residual abuse.

Expect people to behave with dignity, courtesy and respect. Show it with your words and actions. Explain why this is important to your team, your business, and your mindset.

Anna Eliatamby is the Director of Healthy Leadership, CIC and author with Grazia Lomonte of Self-Care-Self-Care for Leaders and their Teams, is available now and available on Amazon

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