|
Home | Site Map | Contact us | Online Store |
||||
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
| |||
|
Bullying 'facts' and 'stats' |
|||
|
|
(Note: Further facts and statistics about bullying in the workplace can be obtained from the latest research by Know Bull! in the 17-page, Extent & Effects of Workplace Bullying Survey Report. A 2-page Summary of Key Findings is also available for download.) This research conducted by Know Bull! not only supports current workplace bullying findings, but reveals alarming information about staff suicide resulting from the effects of workplace bullying; and the imperative for workplace bullying having its own ‘criminal category’ via the introduction of a ‘new’ statutory course of action encompassing the notion of 'the deliberate and/or intentional infliction of a hostile work environment'...under which organisations, and workplace bullies could be prosecuted.
Bullying
in the workplace - on the increase; largely 'unaddressed'; and
wreaking 'havoc' on staff, and company and
organisational productivity... In fact, in 2005 WorkCover (ACT) estimated the dollar 'cost' of workplace bullying saying, "The financial cost of workplace bullying to business in Australia is estimated to be between $6 billion and $13 billion a year." This includes indirect costs, such as absenteeism, labour turnover, loss of productivity and legal costs. Accordingly, "the average cost for a stress claim is $41,186 compared to $23,441 for a physical injury claim." [28 Sep 2005]. The Australian Human Rights Commission believes that the 'cost' could be even higher, with their online 'Workplace Bullying' fact sheet estimating that "workplace bullying costs Australian employers between $6 - $36 billion dollars every year when hidden and lost opportunity costs are considered." [Australian Human Rights Commission]. Recent groundbreaking research in the US by the Workplace Bullying Institute revealed some disturbing facts about the prevalence of workplace bullying and its effects. One of the major findings of the 2007 U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey — the largest scientific survey of bullying in the US — was that "Bullying is 4 (four) times more prevalent than illegal, discriminatory harassment," which includes such things as discrimination due to race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, or age. Other findings included that the 'stereotype' of the 'bully boss' was very real, with 72% of bullies being bosses, and 55% of those bullied being rank-and-file workers; and that with regard to turnover "40% of bullied workers voluntarily leave", while "Targets lose their jobs to make the bullying stop in 77% of cases." Coincidentally, the existence of the 'bully boss' is also supported by other organisations and campaigns such as the UK's 'Ban Bullying at Work' campaign, which stated that "Bullies tend to be in a position of power" [29 Oct 2007]; and by the latest research conducted by Know Bull! which found that "an ‘active’ bully exists in 66.6% of workplaces - and is more likely to be a boss " [Extent and Effects of Workplace Bullying Survey Report]. Disturbingly, the Know Bull! Survey also found that 83.3% of these ‘boss bullies’ don’t act alone – preferring to operate as a bully group, or ‘mob’." [Extent and Effects of Workplace Bullying 30 May 2010]. Interestingly, this 'bully boss mob' mentality...where senior managers and/or board members 'protect' one another's backs and/or deny the existence of workplace bullying...is highlighted in Australia's most publicised case of Sexual Harassment, and Workplace Bullying - the David Jones $37million law suit by a former employee. While there's there's a number of media stories about the case a full copy of the Plaintiff's Statement of Claims against David Jones, it's former CEO, and members of the DJ's board, lodged on 02 Aug 2010, can be downloaded from here (pdf, 18pps, 6.47MB). Perhaps one of the most salient findings of the U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey is that "Bullies bully with near impunity, experiencing negative consequences in only 23% of cases." [Sept 2007, U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey]. The Know Bull! Survey Report: Extent and Effects of Workplace Bullying also found found that workplace bullies receive tacit approval to continue their behaviour, with 50% of employers taking no action when a workplace bullying claim is made, and a further 12.5% actually promoting the workplace bully. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that these employers (a total of 62.5%) are simply 'adding' to the 'problem' of workplace bullying. Unfortunately, the workplace bully literature suggests "that the worse an offender a workplace bully is, the harder they can be to cure", and that perhaps it may even be "impossible [to] help them learn how to mitigate or control, their behaviour. They can even have their behaviour reinforced if their employing institution rewards them with promotion or salary bonuses, or simply ignores the damage they are doing." [04 Feb 2007].
A
brief profile of a potential bully 'target' - far from being the
'spectacled, nerdy wimp' - they pose a perceived 'threat' to
bullies... "Indeed," stated Dr Mark Hayes in an article in Webdiary (Feb 2007), "the literature suggests that workplace bullies tend to be threatened by their targets in various ways and to deal with the threat, bullies seek to control, contain, or even remove the threat, all the while getting off on the torment they are causing. The threat can actually be the target's productivity, skills, talent, popularity with peers and even superiors, which, completely inadvertently, shows up the bully's inadequacies. Like whistleblowers, the bully's target may well have a strong conscience which all but drives them to speak and act truthfully because they cannot act in any other way. The target must be put in their place." Beyond Bullying (New Zealand) also emphasise the 'perception' of 'threat', stating, "A Target is an individual who by accident has the desirable qualities of competence, networking and emotional intelligence. This individual is selected as an object towards which the Workplace Bully can direct an unrelenting stream of harm — mainly subtle and some obvious — in order to reduce the Target’s performance and self esteem while increasing the Workplace Bully’s own view of her/his own self importance. For the Workplace Bully, the Target is perceived as a threat." [Beyond Bullying].
Definitions
and some
of the behaviours that comprise 'workplace bullying'...
Other
definitions include: Workplace bullying states that bullying behaviour can fall under any combination of 5 'categories' of bullying behaviour, which include "threats to professional status, threats to personal standing, isolation, overwork and destabilisation." [Rayner, C., Hoel, H. & Cooper, C.L. (2002). Workplace bullying. London: Taylor & Francis]. [5 May 2007].
Workplace
Bullying said to be a key factor in up to 18.9 million working days
lost in UK... Statistics published in December 2007 by the UK 'Ban Bullying At Work Day' show that one in four people have been bullied at some point in their working lives, and new research indicates this figure may be as high as one in two. [03 Dec 2007, UK].\ Some sectors, such as teaching, appear to have an extraordinarily 'high' concentration of bullying in the workplace — with new research by Australia's University of New England (UNE) finding in an online survey of both private and government schools — that 90% of teachers have been bullied by colleagues. The survey, which sought input from teachers from throughout Australia, also found " that a fifth of respondents had had their property damaged or had been physically abused or threatened with violence", and that over 90% "had suffered mentally or physically because of abuse." [30 Nov 2007, ABC Online News]. An online article of The British Psychological Society's publication The Psychologist, supports the view that some sectors are more prone than others, stating that "...certain occupational groups have also been identified as being more vulnerable to bullying than others. Various studies (Hoel & Cooper, 2000; McAvoy & Murtagh, 2003; Quinne, 1999; Westhuses, 2004) have shown that bullying is more prevalent within the prison service, the healthcare and education sectors and amongst postal and telecommunications workers." [In Hazards to health: The problem of workplace bullying, 5 May 2007].
The
high 'cost' of workplace bullying - 18.9 million working days lost;
potentially $111 billion annually; 71.5 million workers affected - why companies and organisations
should take notice... The Workplace Law Network website (a membership site for UK employers and managers, specialising in employment law, health and safety and premises management), cites more recent research: "despite formal policies and government-backed schemes to tackle the problem," new research reveals that "Nearly two thirds of Britons (73%) have been bullied at work or seen someone else undergoing it...". [30 Jan 2009]. The Workplace Bullying
Institute (WBI), a Washington State-based non-profit group serving the U.S. and Canada, states
that around "37 percent of U.S. workers have reported being bullied on the job, and 49 percent say they have witnessed a bully in
action", representing a staggering 86% of the workforce
being affected by bullying in the workplace. The WBI, who defines bullying as "repeated, health-harming verbal abuse; threatening, humiliating or offensive behavior; and work interference, including sabotage, that The potential dollar 'cost' to American based companies is even more startling. With an estimated 1 million workers in the US absent daily due to stress, Dr Paul Rosch, president of the American Institute of Stress (AIS), said 'We estimate it [stress] costs American industry $300 billion a year in terms of diminished productivity, employee turnover and insurance." If we consider the 37% of respondents to the Zogby Survey who reported having been subject to sabotage, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation, or humiliation in the workplace, and we surmise they would have indeed suffered 'stress' as result of these actions against them - then the potential cost to American industry would be around $111 billion annually. The reality, is that people do not contribute their best when they fear harassment, bullying or abuse, plus companies risk replacement costs when people leave, often face legal costs and suffer because of reduced productivity and commitment. And according to the Crisis Prevention Institute (USA). "...research has clearly demonstrated that when targets believe someone at work has treated them disrespectfully, half will lose work time worrying about future interactions with the instigator, and half will contemplate changing jobs to avoid a recurrence. Most will tell friends, family and colleagues about how badly they have been treated, and some targets of bullying will leave the company". [20 Nov 2007, PRNewswire, Milwaukee]. The bottom line is that workplace bullies are just far too expensive to keep. And Australian organisations would be wise to pay careful attention to the recent spate of workplace bully law suits taking place where claims in excess of one million dollars are being sought — if only to realise, according to Business Spectator, that "developing bullying at work policies and challenging existing corporate cultures is now no longer just a human resources function: it is a risk management function that needs to involve corporate boards. For investors, bullying at work is becoming a key risk that needs to be monitored in order to protect shareholder value". [03 Apr 2008, Australia].
Bullying
is not a legitimate type of management 'style' - far from it... The Workplace Bullying Institute (US) adds, "bullying isn't the same as tough management, but rather dumping misery on someone else." Recent research by the Institute has found that targets often suffered anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress — while costing employers millions in stress-related illnesses, absences and lost productivity. "Verbal abuse, or conduct that is threatening, intimidating or humiliating — it is the undermining of somebody's work, it is sabotage," said the Institute's, Dr Gary Namie. [1 Nov 2007, Washington]. And from Dr Mark Hayes, "Workplace bullying has nothing whatsoever to do with 'tough management', 'employee motivation', 'productivity improvement' and similar nonsense. It's actually an incompetent, dysfunctional manager or supervisor who believes they must resort to crude threats or intimidation to encourage their staff, or who rationalises their (bullying) behaviour in these ways." [04 Feb 2007].
There's a greater chance you'll be
murdered at work, than dying in a plane crash... If you take the average number of employees murdered at work each week (17), and compare this with data from the same year provided by the The National Safety Council (USA) an organisation that has been compiling and reporting on injury data every year since the 1920s — the numbers reveal that there's a greater chance of being murdered at work, than dying in a plane crash!
The
'fear' of speaking about workplace bullying... And the 'fear' about speaking up may be well founded, with a survey conducted by Zogby on behalf of the Workplace Bullying Institute revealing that despite losing an estimated 21-28 million workers because of bullying, "In 62 percent of the cases, when made aware of bullying, employers worsen the problem or simply do nothing". In the Australian context, workplace bullying was declared to be on the 'increase' from around 2001 with the release of the 2001 Trade Union Survey Report indicating that "more than half of the respondents...reported an unhappy and oppressive workplace, with 44% saying they were afraid to speak up." [Teaching Treasures].
Organisations
are not doing enough to identify and combat bullying and
violence in the
workplace... The reality, is that workplace bullying can happen in almost any employment scenario, with "the most affected industries being those with a very hierarchical management structure, high pressure jobs where staff can be seen as fairly expendable and also in very small, sometimes family-run businesses which fall beneath the radar of union involvement and have no policies on bullying." [7 Nov 2007]. In light of statistics showing that one in four people have been bullied at some point in their working lives, and with new research indicating this figure could be as high as one in two — UK employment law specialists MHL Support stated, "It is very important that employers protect themselves and their employees from harassment and bullying in the workplace. It is necessary to have policies and procedures in place to deal with any instances and to ensure that all employees are aware of them. All complaints should be taken seriously, investigated and appropriate action taken. Equally, management should take responsibility to create a working environment that is free from harassment and bullying". [3 Dec 2007, UK, www.onrec.com]. Further, according to a survey conducted in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding workplace violence prevention, while nearly five percent of the 7.1 million private industry business establishments surveyed in the United States had an incident of workplace violence within the 12 months prior to the survey — about one third of these "did not change their workplace violence prevention procedures after the incident", and almost "9 percent...had no program or policy addressing workplace violence" whatsoever. [20 Nov 2007, PRNewswire, Milwaukee]. From the Australian workplace perspective, Harmer's Workplace Lawyers stated in Lawyer's Weekly Online, “If bullying is occurring in a work environment, it is up to the employer to change the culture of the workplace — or face the consequences. If an employee is too scared to talk to their boss, or their boss’ boss about a bullying incident, the employer may be liable...The courts do not look favourably upon any organisation, regardless of size, that has an incident of bullying, but has no policy or procedure in place informing its employees how to deal with and report incidents of bullying or harassment. Similarly, employers must ensure such policies are very clearly understood, and enforced. [14 Jun 2007, Lawyer's Weekly Online]. The above statement by Harmer's Workplace Lawyers can be seen 'in action' with recent Australian cases such as DJ's $37million law suit; and Air Services combined $2million law suit by 2 employees. "We are challenging businesses to speak out against bullying to create workplaces where employees can see clearly that bullying behaviours will not be tolerated," says Lyn Witheridge, CEO of the UK-based 'Ban Bullying At Work' campaign, "We want to inspire managers to speak out and instill a culture where business is not frightened to stand-up to the bullies." [2 Nov 2007, Clickdocs UK Legal News service]. "Any business that has no specific formal route for an employee to tackle bullying and harassment is open to a contractual breach of the duty of care," says the UK-based Andrea Adams Trust.
On
a global scale the 'laws' to protect workers against bullying are
scant at best... • From a historical perspective, all Australian States and Territories followed in the footsteps of the UK during the 1970’s and 80’s in a total overhaul of their OH & S legislation and regulatory framework following the release of the Robens Report in 1972 (This report was extremely influential in the reform of OH & S in the UK at the time). Today, Australian Occupational Health & Safety is still regulated by the States and Territories1, who also have the responsibility of making and enforcing the OH&S laws in the form of Acts and Regulations. The various Acts and Regulations outline the key duties of both employers and employees. Since workplace bullying and occupational violence create unsafe working environments and pose a risk to employees' health — employers' obligations extend to eliminating or reducing the risk of bullying and violence in their workplaces — in other words, employers have a specific statutory duty to take 'all reasonably practicable steps' to protect their employees' health, safety and welfare. On 5th April 2011, the Crimes Amendment (Bullying) Bill 2011 was tabled in the Parliament of Victoria (Australia). On 1st June 2011 The Crimes Amendment (Bullying) Bill 2011, was passed by Victorian Members of Parliament - making this the first law of its kind in Australia to cover all forms of workplace bullying - including threats, and abusive language. Under this law, workplace bullying in Victoria is now a crime, carrying a penalty up to 10 years' jail for those found guilty.
1 Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 (Cth); Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (NSW); Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic); Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (Qld); Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986 (SA); Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (WA); Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (Tas); Workplace Health and Safety Act 2007 (NT); Occupational Health and Safety Act 1989 (ACT).
[This page was last updated 29 August 2011]
|
|||
|
Home :: Anti-Bullying Links :: Current Poll :: Resources :: Latest Website News :: Previous Poll & Survey Results :: Privacy |
||||
|
|
||||
Current
Know Bull! Poll: