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What Workplace Bullying Looks Like In 2014 -- And How To Intervene

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According to David Maxfield, coauthor of the books Crucial Conversations and Influencer, 96% of American employees experience bullying in the workplace, and the nature of that bullying is changing. “In the 70’s, it was fisticuffs,” he recalls. “I don’t think that’s happening at Facebook.”

Maxfield has been studying corporate culture and success since 1980, when he and several colleagues founded VitalSmarts, a corporate training and leadership development consultancy. Over the years, he developed a particular interest in workplace bullying – where it was happening, how it was changing, how it affected productivity and efficiency in the office – and this morning, VitalSmarts released a new study on the phenomenon by Maxfield and coauthor Joseph Grenny.

Researchers looked at the responses of 2,283 people, and the results surprised even Maxfield: “96% of respondents say they have experienced workplace bullying.” “89% of those bullies have been at it for more than a year.” “54% have been bullying for more than five years.” “80% of bullies affect five or more people.” One of the statistics that was most shocking to Maxfield was the multiple forms bullying took. The study looked at three categories: sabotaging of others’ work or reputations; browbeating, threats, or intimidation; and physical intimidation or assault. “Another stat that really surprised me: how long it’s gone on,” says Maxfield. “You would think it would be intolerable.”

The study makes clear, though, how certain types of bullying can persist for years in some workplaces. The findings suggest that, particularly with passive-aggressive bullying, many industries are so conducive to the behavior that a bully might actually enjoy increased job security as a result of it.

Maxfield and Grenny point out that “in so many cases, the person most likely to remain in his or her job was the bully.” Their research collected hundreds of first-person accounts, many of which described an incident of on-going workplace bullying that ended with the victim changing jobs.

All too often it is the industry itself that inadvertently fosters bullying. “Silicon Valley has masters of sarcasm and irony,” Maxfield says, observing that cruel jokes can feel like a punch in the gut. He also cited the health care industry and the “intimidating physician” problem. In health care, not only do organizations tend to have “steep, rigid hierarchies,” but promotions come from “education, not skills,” leading to an environment where a bully can flourish, attaining a position by having an impressive set of degrees, then driving out those working lower in the hierarchy.

Maxfield also discussed trends in bullying that are peculiar to today’s workplace. Of the survey respondents, “62% saw sabotaging of others’ work or reputations,” “52% saw browbeating, threats, or intimidation,” and “4% saw physical intimidation of assault.” He concludes that “it’s moving from threats of physical violence to threats of termination.” This could be a product of how our job market is changing: fewer people are involved in physical labor, where physical intimidation would seem more likely. As the workplace becomes post-industrial, we see bullying “moving from fifth grade to 50 year olds.” But is it increasing overall, as some recent studies have suggested? Maxfield doesn’t think we can be sure one way or the other. “The definition of bullying has changed so much, it’s probably comparing apples and oranges,” he says.

Another set of troubling statistics in the study are how few people know about or know anyone who has used a company’s policy against bullying. “51% say their company has a policy for dealing with bullies, and only 7% know of anyone who has ever used that policy.” Maxfield thinks that most companies do have policies because of federal laws around harassment, but that it’s “ignorance of policy more than lack of policy… more an issue of publicity and communication.”

Companies can educate their employees about policies against bullying, but what can they do to prevent it in the first place? “100% accountability,” says Maxfield. The study outlines four types of accountability: personal, peer, boss, and formal discipline. According to the study, “the first breakdown is the first [personal]. When individuals and peers who experience or see bullying say nothing, the bully gets emboldened.”

Maxfield advocates for what we’ve all heard since we were kids: if you see something, say something – either to the bully or to an authority figure. If you’re being bullied, though, don’t head straight for the whistle-blower, he adds, because the workplace offers the opportunity to try to communicate with the bully and work through a problem together. “Look at the case for bullying,” he advises. Let’s say you missed a deadline and you’re being berated. Say something like, “I agree with your concern. I missed the deadline, but I have a concern, too, with the way you raise concerns,” then, Maxfield says, you need facts. “Repeat back to them what they just said.” If the bullying is harder to pinpoint, “describe the pattern of facts.”

Bullies often don’t realize the way they are being perceived, he says, and want to change once it comes to their attention. He described an organization where senior scientists began to leave because the division manager was a bully. The manager felt that 98% of the time, he was fine, and 2% of the time, he would lose his temper. He didn’t see that as a terrible batting average. His coworkers said they were walking on eggshells 98% of the time, and then 2% of time the mask slipped and they saw the real person. The manager set out to change his behavior. At another company, Maxfield’s team encountered a similar situation. An anesthesiologist was upset to learn he’d been a bully and wanted his coworkers’ help making sure he changed. He asked that they call him by his first name whenever he was behaving sociably but use “Dr.” and his last name if he slipped back into bullying habits.

Maxfield believes there is plenty an employee can do to build a network of support in case before bullying even begins. “It’s really important that every employee understand who the opinion leaders around them are. Find out who the most respected people are, ask those people for a lay of the land, priorities, who do they respect, then meet them. Keep meeting those who lead others and who are opinion leaders.” These people can have your back if something comes up with a direct supervisor. They can also help you to understand the company and your position in it better so that your transition is smoother and a bully – especially the kind who wants to motivate you, but maybe has the wrong tactics – has less reason to attack you.

Finally, Maxfield says that silence can make bullying the norm; it implicitly validates the behavior. A person who is bullied will often remain silent, worried that speaking out may incur additional abuse and not considering the cost of silently endorsing the behavior. Maxfield calls this “catastrophizing,” and says that staying silent often lets the bullying continue and even escalate. Moreover, all of that time is money. Some 20% of survey responders reported that workplace bullying cost them upwards of seven hours a week, which the study valued at $8,800 in lost annual wages. “Silence is not golden,” says Maxfield. “Silence is permission.”