Thirty Five Percent of American Workers Experienced Bullying

In a 2010 survey completed by the Workplace Bullying Institute it was found that thirty-five per cent of Americans are experiencing workplace bullying firsthand while an additional fifteen percent report witnessing it. Based on the work we do at Benard + Associates these statistics are no surprise. We have observed a steady flow of reported incidents where bullying and harassment are alleged. Workplaces need to establish a three tiered approach to workplace conflict that includes policies of zero tolerance and well defined processes for managing complaints, competent investigators and mediators to facilitate processes aimed at resolving these issues, and educational programs for employees and managers to assist them in developing skills to deal deal with these situations. Other studies such as the 2008 Human Capital Report suggest as many as 385 million working days are lost each year in the United States to issues of workplace conflict. This issue isn’t going away and employers are seeing that it needs to be a priority if they are to avoid more serious issues that flow from these behaviours. Check out the workplace bullying survey: Workplace Bullying