Czaro Strategic Communications

“Scut Farkus! What a rotten name! We were trapped. There he stood, between us and the alley. Scut Farkus staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes! So, help me, God! Yellow eyes!”

– “A Christmas Story” (1983)

They don’t play well with others. They dish out constant psychological, emotional, and (sometimes) physical abuse. They can turn the job you love into the job you’d love to leave.

They’re workplace bullies – the adult version of the ones who ruled the playground, the hallways and the lunchroom growing up.

Workers intimidating other workers is a serious problem, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute:

• 37% of American workers, have been bullied at work. Just like in school, bullies like an audience. When witnesses are included, it affects half (49%) of American workers.
• 72% of bullies are bosses. In these cases bullying can take the form of yelling, swearing, insensitive practical jokes and humiliation, but many times it can be as simple as treating people differently.
• Bullies target women more frequently (in 57% of cases) than men – especially by other women (in 71% of cases). A common method of bullying among women is exclusion, with the intention to create social isolation.
• Only 3% of bullied targets file lawsuits, and 40% never complain despite suffering from increased stress, low self-esteem and depression.
• Targets have to stop the vast majority of bullying (77%) by losing their jobs despite being the ones harmed. Workers who are bullied suffer from absenteeism, decreased productivity and eventually (voluntary or involuntary) turnover.

Standing up to a bully is a monumental task for a school-age child, and it doesn’t get any easier for an adult in the workplace. As a leader, you cannot tolerate bullying to take place at work. If you’re addressing the issue with someone on your team, or you’re helping someone else cope, follow these tips:

• Report it. The target should tell their boss, or if their boss is the bully, they should consider talking to someone in Human Resources.
• Document it. Write down every incident in a notebook along with the time, date and location of the offense.
• Suck it up. Be tough. Not physically tough – mentally tough. When I was in the seventh grade, I’d been tormented all year by a bully nearly twice my size. I was on crutches with a broken foot when I made my stand. I decided that enough was enough right in the middle of music class. After receiving his punishment, Goliath (not his real name) told me he’d earned my respect. I never had another bully bother me again.
• Stay calm. Don’t yell, cry or otherwise show weakness – that’s what the bully wants. I was pushed down. I got back up. I was pushed down again. I got up slower, but I got up. By now 70 kids were witnessing Goliath destroy a one-legged David. I maintained my composure all the way to the principal’s office. In the workplace, you have to remain calm and stay professional.

Who’s going to stop workplace bullying? If not you, then who? If you see it taking place you need to take a stand. You have the power to stop workplace bullies. The only real power they have is the power you give them.