Author Archives: bullyinworkplace

About bullyinworkplace

I am currently working on two documentaries. One involves both a traditional documentary about the devastating impact of Workplace Bullying and a transmedia project that turns it into an interactive web-documentary . The other more traditional project is about Maria Martin's groundbreaking work to train indigenous Mayan journalists in Guatemala who risk their lives to link their remote communities to the global dialogue. My documentaries have been broadcast internationally, and screened at major festivals including; HBO, PBS The Sundance Channel,The Sundance Film Festival, Human Rights Watch, Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art,The Walker Art Center, The Warhol Museum, The Kitchen. 71 West Broadway: Ground Zero, New York, NY was selected as part of the memorial presentation at the Library of Congress, which has included it in the national 9/11 film archive. Portions of Invisible Revolution, were featured on ABC’s 20/20, Dateline, and HBO specials on domestic terrorism.

Workplace Bullying: WE DON’T DO THAT HERE

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Lessons learned at the 2nd Annual Consortium on Abrasive Conduct in Higher Education [CACHE]

My first documentary, Sandra’s Web, the intimate video letter from a homeless mother with AIDS left as a legacy for her daughter, premiered on HBO. A few days after the broadcast the legendary George Stoney, my beloved mentor, looked at me and essentially said, That’s nice. Now the real work begins.  It was a life changing lesson he passed on to so many of us who produce social justice documentaries. So, while I was delighted to win an Honorary Webby this year for my documentary on workplace bullying, What Killed Kevin, it meant even more to me that I was invited back a second year in a row to screen the film at the CACHE colloquium sponsored by Sibson Consulting and the Boss Whispering Institute. Similar to the year before, attendees at the two-day conference held at the University of Denver School of Hospitality Management were made up of “representatives from nearly 20 institutions of higher education including faculty, HR professionals, ombudspeople, labor representatives, administrators, and researchers convened to explore best practices in addressing the problem of workplace bullying in the academy.” Continue reading →

CIA Cracks Down On Bullying & Harassment

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An internal CIA document obtained by the Associated Press shows that the agency is disciplining abusive managers: 

“…These days, the CIA says it has a zero tolerance policy toward workplace harassment. And an agency document obtained by The Associated Press said 15 CIA employees were disciplined for committing sexual, racial or other types of harassment last year. That included a supervisor who was removed from the job after engaging in “bullying, hostile behavior,” and an operative who was sent home from an overseas post for inappropriately touching female colleagues, said the document, an internal message to the agency’s workforce.

The examples cited in the message, sent several weeks ago in an email by the director of the agency’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, were meant to show how the CIA is enforcing its strict policy. Continue reading →

New Hampshire Legislature Passes Workplace Bullying Law

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new hampshire workplace bullying legislationBack in February we highlighted union backed legislation that was pushing through New Hampshire. On June 4 it officially passed through the House and Senate.

Similar to the bill that whizzed through Tennessee, HB 0591  is limited to Public Employees and emphasizes the need to implement policies and training. We would all love to see stand alone legislation with all the protections employees deserve but this growing trend that focuses on finding ways to pass legislation has infused energy and movement into a previously stalled campaign. And, more importantly, workers are beginning to have protection from devastating psychological abuse. Union efforts in California has ensured that other states are not far behind. Hopefully legislators in New York and other states around the country will begin to adopt this winning template to protect their employees. Can private employers be far behind? Continue reading →

Tennessee Enacts Law to Prevent Workplace Bullying – But…

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SB2226: Any person injured by any act in violation of this bill will have a civil cause of action in chancery court or circuit court…When an employer or employee is found to be in violation, the court may enjoin such employer or employee from engaging in the unlawful employment practice and may order any other relief necessary, including, but not limited to, the removal of the offending party from said work environment, medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering, compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.  NOT!

Wouldn’t that paragraph have thrilled the hearts of all of us involved in the effort to pass abusive conduct legislation to protect employees? But, that’s not the portion of SB2226 that the Tennessee State Senate approved or the Governor signed. What they did enact “requires the Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR), in consultation with the department of human resources and interested local government organizations, to create a model policy for local governments to prevent abusive conduct in their workplaces workplace. The model policy shall:

(1) Assist employers in recognizing and responding to abusive conduct in the workplace; and
(2) Prevent retaliation against any employee who has reported abusive conduct in the workplace. Continue reading →

Isn’t management supposed to fire abrasive managers?

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[*Note: Sulzberger’s statement pointing to Abramson’s management style as the reason he fired her was released after this article was published – link here to read it. ]

Last night I caught up with Charlie Rose’s coverage of the ouster of Jill Abramson as Executive Editor of the New York Times. Rose played a clip from his earlier interview with Abramson when she was first promoted in which she told him that she was made aware that she needed to bring “good Jill” to her new role. In 2011 – three years ago – Poynter quotes a New Yorker article that brings this concern home: Continue reading →

More Employees Cite “Incivility” As Reason For Leaving Jobs

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Even though the 2013 report, Civility in America, showed a sharp decline in workplace incivility in the last two years “there has been a 30% increase in Americans reporting they have quit a job because it was an uncivil workplace.”  This increase in job shifts is surprising because a similar decline was found by the Workplace Bullying Institute in relationship to more abusive situations; down from 13% in 2007 to just 7% in 2014. Continue reading →