Have You Experienced Workplace Bullying?

Workplace bullying is a national phenomenon.  Approximately 49% of adult workers admit to being a victim of mistreatment and 72% of bullies outrank the victim.  In other countries there are now laws to protect employees from psychological abuse.  Unfortunately, there are none in the U.S. but since 2003, 18 states have introduced the Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB)(see link below).  So what is workplace bullying?

According to the Healthy Workplace Bill organization, "workplace bullying  is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:"

• Verbal abuse.
• Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating or intimidating
• Work interference – sabotage – which prevents work from getting done

The Workplace Bullying Institute (see link below) identifies 25 tactics used by bullies such as spreading rumors or gossip, plagiarism, humiliation, silent treatment, non-verbal intimidation (staring), verbal aggression (yelling) and being labeled as insubordinate for not following policies that are non-existent.  For a complete list, go to one of the links below.

I have been personally and professionally interested in this topic for a variety of reasons.  As a life coach, I have had clients share personal experiences of work abuse impacting their health and careers.  Most of these women cannot leave their jobs as the economy has made it difficult to find new positions.  Second, the majority of people who are abused are women by women superiors.  My career is about helping women find purpose, passion and life satisfaction.  It is a real area to be addressed. Finally, yes, I have been a victim of workplace bullying and feel strongly about helping other women.  It can be a lonely, stressful, hopeless place to be, for sure, but there are wonderful organizations and websites that can give you more information and ways to cope.  Most importantly, you will find that you are not alone and you did nothing wrong. Find someone to talk to and seek professional help if stress symptoms are increasing.

I am interested in your personal experiences.  Please respond to my blog or to my email at redefineyourlifeafter45.com with your story. 

http://www.workplacebullying.org/

http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/