Bullying in the Workplace: an occupational hazard

If you thought bullying only happened in the schoolyard, then either you're very fortunate, blind to what's happening in the office, or unaware that your managerial style is bullying. According to the book, "Bullying in the Workplace," it is a major problem in the workplace. In the introduction it states that "a 2000 ACTU anti-bullying Occupational Health and Safety campaign surveying over 3000 participants revealed that almost 70 per cent of respondents were bullied by a manager or supervisor." With so many people affected with bullying, writing a self-help book on this subject seems a logical thing to do. The authors, Helene Richards and Sheila Freeman, decided to write this book because they knew from "personal experience that workplace bullying is traumatic and painful and that it has long longing effects."

Bullying in the Workplace is focused into two main areas: the victim and the bully (with a chapter devoted to each). By the way, the definition of bullying given here is "a repeated patterned of unprovoked, unwelcome hostile behaviour that intentionally inflicts, or attempts to inflict injury, hurt, humiliation or discomfort." In chapter one the authors profile and analyze the bully, giving us insight into the motivation behind their harassment of a fellow worker. In the following chapters the attention is on the victim, as is the rest of the book, and the extent of their trauma is fully realized with the aide of real life case studies interspersed throughout the book. This makes it an easy read, and emphasizes their point superbly.

Richards and Freeman give the victim advice on what steps to take with multiple options for them to consider. The victims often experience the loss of self-esteem, chronic stress as well as other physical and mental health problems. But what is the cost to companies? Richards and Freeman answer this question in chapter 7, stating that "recent estimates of financial costs to industry in Australia of workplace bullying have varied between $A3 billion, 12 billion and up to $36 billion a year." In the latter chapters the authors deal with making a complaint, legal options, and the aftermath of being bullied, and what action to take from there.

Bullying in the Workplace was first published in 2002 by Harper Collins Australia, but is out of print at this time. If you do a search online with full title and authors name you will locate a copy. Of course, there are many great books on this subject if you go to Amazon.