1. Bullying in the workplace
Identification, challenges and strategies for hr professionals

2. Objectives
Increase awareness and understanding about bullying and other forms of abrasive behavior in the workplace
To identify the leadership challenges for HR professionals
Explore strategies for empowering ourselves and others in cultivating inclusive work environments

3. Flow Setting the Context Understanding bullying: bullying defined
National context
Importance and implications
Trends in the higher education setting
Understanding bullying: bullying defined
Creating healthy, inclusive and supportive work environments
Roles and responsibilities of HR professionals
Tips and resources
Closing Considerations

4. Setting the Context

5. national context
Bullying affects half (49%) of U.S. adults (71.5 million workers)
Bullied individuals often fail to complain
Only 3% of bullied targets file lawsuits
40% never complain
In a majority (77%) of instances of bullying, targets rather than perpetrators give up their jobs
72% of U.S. public are aware of workplace bullying
27% of Americans have suffered abusive conduct at work
21% of Americans have witnessed bullying at work
Source: WBI (Workplace Bullying Institute) National Survey (2014)

6. NATIONAL CONTEXT: who is bullying whom?
55% of those bullied are rank-and-file as opposed to managers
56% of bullies are in a supervisor role
72% of bullies are some form of supervisor
69% of bullies are male
60% of bullied targets are female
Women bullies choose women targets 68% of the time
Source: WBI (Workplace Bullying Institute) National Survey (2014)

7. why is this important for us to talk about?

8. impact on work team morale and productivity
Loss of worktime due to worrying, thinking about changing jobs and avoiding the offender
Lost revenue due to decrease in productivity and increased cost for HR related tasks
Weakened sense of commitment and reduced time spent at work
Co-workers who witness bullying are also traumatized by the phenomenon – and are as likely as victims themselves to look for a new job
Sources: WBI (Workplace Bullying Institute) National Survey (2014); Workplace Bullying – An Economic Cancer in the American Workplace (2010).

9. compelling implications
Employee health and safety
Public Health Hazard – for 45% of bullied targets, stress affects their health; 33% suffer for more than a year
Increase in stress-related health care cost (Atkins)
Employment practices and liability - INCREASED
Legal costs
Cost of managing incivility
Absenteeism
Campus code of conduct
Abrasive interactions result in disengagement from work
Sources: WBI (Workplace Bullying Institute) National Survey (2014); Workplace Bullying – An Economic Cancer in the American Workplace (2010).

10. TRENDS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SETTING
Behaviors most frequently cited in academia involve threats to professional status, isolating and obstructionist behavior. Seem to be linked “to the critical importance placed in academia on one’s accomplishments, intellectual rigor, and reputation.”
Respondents reported being ordered to do work below their level of competence, being exposed to an unmanageable workload, and having their opinions and views ignored.
Employees who spent less than 1 year and more than 20 years in their present job more often reported bullying.
Sources: Zabrodska, K. & Kveton, P. (May 2012). Prevalence and Forms of Workplace Bullying Among University Employees. Keashly, L. & Neuman, J. (March 2010). Faculty Experience with Bullying in Higher Education. Hollis, L. (December 2014). Lambs to Slaughter? Young People as the Prospective Target of Workplace Bullying in Higher Education.

11. TRENDS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SETTING cont.
The majority of bullying cases were perpetrated by a single person, rather than by two or more persons.
Faculty members were almost twice as likely as staff to report being the victims of “mobbing” by three or more actors.
Men are more likely to be identified as perpetrators than women. This has been explained by the fact that men typically hold more powerful positions in organizations than women.
71% of students face workplace bullying in higher education, a far higher rate than for staff or faculty
Sources: Zabrodska, K. & Kveton, P. (May 2012). Prevalence and Forms of Workplace Bullying Among University Employees. Keashly, L. & Neuman, J. (March 2010). Faculty Experience with Bullying in Higher Education. Hollis, L. (December 2014). Lambs to Slaughter? Young People as the Prospective Target of Workplace Bullying in Higher Education.

12. Understanding Bullying: Bullying Defined

13. Forms of aggression in the workplace
BULLYING – offensive or malicious behavior through persistent actions typically meant to undermine, intimidate or demean the recipient
INTIMIDATION – behavior that is intended to frighten, coerce, or induce duress
THREAT – expression of intent to cause physical or mental harm, which may be direct, indirect, conditional or veiled
VIOLENT BEHAVIOR – unwanted physical contact such as hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, throwing objects, or the use of a weapon.

14. The Bully Wears Prada
Please make sure that your computer volume sound is turned up
The video sound plays through your computer and not your phone, land line, head set, etc.
Show clip of the Devil Wears Prada:

15. The Bully Wears Prada Reflect on what you observed?
Behavior by perpetrator/target
Power differential
Behavior by bystanders
Type of bullying (i.e. knowledge and position)
Relationship to higher education environments

16. emotional vs. physical bullying
Physical assaults
Emotional bullying
Autocratic, over-controlling
Sarcasm, belittling, always finding fault (“the diminisher”)
Cold-shoulder, exclusion
Gossip, rumors, misinformation
Sabotage, undermining or being uncooperative
Threatening, intimidation, brow-beating
Source: How to Confront a Bully, David Maxfield (Crucial Conversations and Influencer)

17. WORKPLACE BULLYING
Bullying at work means harassing or offending behavior that socially excludes someone or otherwise negatively affects their work.
The label of bullying is accurately applied to a particular activity, interaction or process, when it occurs repeatedly and regularly and over a period of time.
Bullying could escalate in the course of which the victim or the victim’s work is put down, often making them powerless and the further target of systematic abusive behavior.
Source: Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. (2003). The Concept of Bullying at Work. In S. Einarsen, et al (Eds.), Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: International Perspectives in Research and Practice.

18. reflective exercise: is what i’m experiencing “bullying”?

19. reflective exercise: is what i’m experiencing “bullying?”
Take a moment to think of a workplace situation on your campus that you think is an example of bullying or abrasive behavior.
Think about what specifically is happening
Can you describe the behavior involved
Who’s involved? Who is the “bully”/ “bullied?”
How frequent? How long has it been going on?
Impact (who/what is impacted)
Pause

20. Promoting and maintaining respectful work environments: the roles and responsibilities of hr professionals

21. climates that encourage bullying
175 colleges and universities
Bullying = power deferential
Yelling and insults – 54%
Harsh memos 47%
Gossip or Mobbing 43%
Source:Leah P. Hollis, (2012)Bully in the Ivory Tower: How Aggression and Incivility Erode American Higher Education.

22. what hr professionals can do
Model behavior
Take responsibility for your actions
How do you speak about groups or individuals in your organization?
Say Something
Display Empathy and Compassion
How does it feel to be different? To have an alternative lifestyle? To be transgender? To be an undocummented?
Empathy and correction
Taking the RISK because you are worth it
Support your employees/clients
Know resources for cases – informal and formal
Continuous learning
I hear from across campuses - Expectation of your role – community expect HR to model behavior and have the highest degree of ethical standards and values of the organization.
So, we need to begin with ourselves, we can model good behavior
We obviously promote using dialogue skills first - models behavior
Awareness and understanding of abusive conduct (bullying) the definitions, be transparent, engage respectfully and civili
Take responsibility for your actions
How do you speak about groups or individuals in your organization? Do you ever unintentionally get impatient, curt or even rude with an individual or group regularly? What can you do about this? – unconscious biases, mircoraggressions, etc.
Say Something – call it out being an Active Bystander -- if you see someone engaging in workplace bullying …if you don’t you are giving it permission. Telling someone, or telling the person if you are able, is helpful and necessary to prevent the behavior from continuing.
Reflect on Empathy and compassion( sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it) -- - Empathy: the ability to consider a situation from another point of view..and being compassion is consciousness desire to help…How does it feel to be diffeent? To have an alternative lifestyle? To be transgender? To be an undocummented?   
Think about this to…Empathy and compassion when approaching someone with correction…and if you are corrected…be empathetic with person who has nerve to approach you….Don, you may not be aware of this but your that you sent about our continued disagreement about this process and sent whole unit made me feel isolated or etc …remember they are investing in you when they try to correct your behavior they are taking a RISK to come to
Support your employees/clients - Know resources for individual cases and provide clear guidance (victims as well as accused of the behavior) – informal and formal resources, Behaviorial Intervention Team, Employee Assistance Programs, Family Medical leave, Ombuds, whistle blower, etc.
Continuous Learning/Professional development – tools and techniques – continually do this (having difficult discussions with hostile individuals, etc.) – responding to a distress employee, microaggressions or unconscious biases - Studies of shown and even in my line of work – there is perception that HR personnel could side with bullies and failing to protect workers and another study by D’Cruz and Noronha, 2010 HRM their finding with HR personnel show that they also “feel challenged in their lack of organizational power to take action, yet there is an expection for you to take complaints and seriously act upon them in the best of their decision capability.
Source: Answering Workplace Bully’s Key Questions, Management Communication Quarterly, by Dr. Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik

23. FEW BAD APPLES… Hiring Process
Develop a culture that does not tolerate
Evaluation of peers and superiors
Multiple rounds of interviews
Questions and case scenarios
Candidates come in and complete a short task
Learn about their technical and personality
How a Few Bad Applies Ruin Everything, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2011 by Robert Sutton
Leaders who let a few bad apples in the door --- are setting the stage for even their most skilled people to fail
As HR professionals, look into your strategies hiring process
Develop a culture that does not tolerate this behavior (ie principles of community or definition abuvsive conduct, interview questions geered towards addressing behavior) (case scenarios – give an idea of how this individual will and address situation) – make it known in the interview or selection process, bad behavior in the workplace and act decively to prevent and halt them
Candidates -- Evaluation of peers and superiors
Conduct - Multiple rounds of interviews (phone, skype and in person)
Candidates come in and complete a short task
Learn about their technical and personality
Interview questions – case scenarios…how would you handle this conflict? Or active bystander?
Source: How a Few Bad Applies Ruin Everything, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2011 by Robert Sutton

24. CHANGE THE CYCLE Awareness, Proactive and Preventive Actions
Define Workplace Bullying and Set Expectations
Offer guidance, protocols and resources
Enforce it!
Encourage marginalized workers’ voices
Resources and space
Looking beyond the individual and making systemic, climate changes– how to begin the process?
Awareness, Proactive and Preventive Actions
Define Workplace Bullying and Set Expectations – Bullying exists in environments where its allowed to occur. If we can’t define it, then we can change it.
--- UC Merced implemented our new policy on the Prohibilition of Abusive Conduct (affects everyone on campus, including affiliates)
---Put Policies into place (offers guidance and resources. Protocols and processess)… it needs to be enforced!
Encouraging marginalized workers’ voices – resources and provide space for the voice (explaing employees should “go above supervisiors heads” to report abuse) ombusperson – confidential and informal resource (unfiltered voices) - big concerns is retailiation
This and other forms of confidential staff input also provide the opportunity to identify supervisory bullying _
Formulate the problem – start the conversation…review the data - numerous data collected such as surveys (both local and national), you have to know your climate – where to go? Your own cases in HR, well-being or experience surveys, focus groups, risk assessments, Ombuds annual reports, have your pulse on it of your organization and you have a good idea

25. CHANGING THE CYCLE – STATEGY MAPPING
Convene your Team
Write the problem, brainstorm and generate key ideas and resources available
Develop solutions specific to your campus
Rank list goals and assign tasks
Vision
Explain to community what you are working on
Convene Team – start with HR colleagues or bring up a proposal to your supervisor -- goal is to create tools, educate, work on things they can do and thing to think about) - not a formal decision making committee…influence cultural climate change
Choose teammates carefully - do I have a good group of people to help with this project,
Broad representation and cross-section -- different depts, key positions, international representatives,
Shared Governance – involve influence of faculty and other governing bodies (ie code of conduct in faculty manual, etc.)
Write the problem, Review and Adopt: objective, goals -- about how you are going to address the problem and its correlation with risk/cost to your organization
Develop solutions and Implement the goals and evaluate - incorporate any changes that occur – what will success look like?
Continue, modify or terminate -- people come and go with your group, check your progress, regroup and figure out your plan again…like a strategiec plan, its living plan because we change…you are projecting what may happen in 5 years, etc. Review it as it is useful to help inform your work
Vision
Explain to community what you are working on – Leadership council

26. community impact strategies
Website (resources), Develop documents (FAQ & informal vs. formal), Tips, Active Bystander, etc.
Create Communication Plan –quarterly magazines or newspapers, happenings, posters, etc.
Capacity building and Reinforcement
World Café – creating informal and whole group conversations
Live Theatre & Role Play
Orientations
Workshops and trainings
Podcasts, You Tubes, Lynda.com, etc.
Focus groups or independent review of workplace conditions
Rewards for improving climate
Website (resources – policies procedures, address retaliation and confidential resources), Develop documents (FAQ & informal vs. formal conflict resolution), Tips – deal with difficulty, Active Bystander, etc.
Create Communication Plan – s, newspaper, happenings, etc.
Principles of community “we affirm the inherent dignty and value of every person while cultivating a campus climate rooted in mutual respect and compassion…encourage a culture of dialogue, understanding and civility in all interactions.” – these aspirations but how do we actualize them?
Organizational communication scholarship points to the importance of education and organizational training.
Capacity building and Reinforcement - Simply understanding workplace bullying helps leaders and members adopt new attidtudes, respond more quickly to reported abuse and counter bullying in constructive ways
Workshops and trainings - Offering training related to workplace aggression and communication skills
Formalized communication about policies coupled with attendant changes in members’ and leaders’ attitudes and everyday talk and practice as well as organizational rewards and punishments.
Creating public, sought-after rewards for treating others with respects and spreading efforts to improve climate through hierarchical levels in the organizations

27. SUMMARY Model behavior – Take responsibility…Say Something
Display Empathy and Compassion
Review Human Resources processes
Hiring/Space & Resources
Lead or Be a part of the Change Cycle
Strong Leadership that eradicates bullying
Collective Responsibility
Define workplace bullying
Set expectations, guidance, protocols
Enforce the policy
Strategies on activities – build capacity and reinforcement

28. CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS
Questions and Comments Thanks and Appreciation