Category Archives: New Approaches

The Dark Side of The Workplace Bully/Victim

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“..the majority of bully-typifying traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychoticism, and the aggression measures) were associated with being a victim…”

Many surveys show that 25-35% of today’s American workforce self-report that they are suffering the devastating impact of bully bosses. But, as a new Canadian study shows, it’s not always that simple. Take for example the darker side of bullying – the Bully/Victim. Apparently some victims may share certain personality traits with their bully; disagreeableness, dominance, and aggression. And, as noted above, this includes the “dark triad” associated with bullying behavior; machiavellianism, narcissism, psychoticism. “As an example, the bully-typifying trait verbal aggression may be directly associated with the bullying of others (Parkins, Fishbein, & Ritchey, 2006). It is also, however, associated with argumentativeness (Diamond, 2005), a possible ‘annoying’ factor that may provoke others to bully those who score highly on the trait.”

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Revealing The Secrets Of Mental Illness At Work

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…more than one in four American adults has a diagnosable mental health disorder, and one in seventeen has a serious disorder such as schizophrenia orbipolar disorder, but chances are co-workers or managers don’t know who they are… [Psychology Today]

Skyworks Charitable Foundation uses documentary film to bring this issue forward in their social change intiative, Working Life. The online web videos provide heartwarming and insightful portraits of “four adults who grew up in families struggling with mental health difficulties. They reflect on some of the challenges facing their parents, both as parents and as breadwinners, and how their experiences shaped their own goals and expectations.” Continue reading →

Can You Sue Your Bully Boss? Maybe…

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photo: vacation2usa.com

Here’s an article by Jon Rehm of the Nebraska law firm, “Rehm, Bennet & Moore” who starts by saying  “if you are being bullied at work, you should document the bullying, try to constructively confront the bully and speak with HR if the bullying continues. If bullying is persistent, you should also consider looking for other employment.” Rehm poses possible solutions on how to deal with workplace bullying from a legal perspective.  Lots of interesting information…especially #2 Continue reading →

Workplace Bullying: What Google Search Page Are You On? We Are #1!

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Google image

Woo Hoo! Who cares what google search page we show up on?  You should because we are fighting to highlight and promote diverse voices and alternative approaches to prevent workplace bullying and make your life safer. And, we did this without funding, advertising, or revenues.  Word of mouth still rules!  If you keep seeking us out on Google we’ll be there for you: Continue reading →

Canada, Workplace Bullies, and The Law

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Wal Mart Canada CorpHere’s an article from the Canadian Workplace Legal Post which is a reminder to everyone involved in the U.S. workplace bullying movement that a variety of solutions can, and should, be embraced and supported. Canada has been  strengthening their Workers Comp and OSHA regulations to be effective tools that can protect their workers:

Big Jury Award Arising from Workplace Bullying

Appropriate conduct in the workplace is ever changing. The most recent shift concerns bullying in the workplace, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the stern, often aggressive management styles of yesteryear may no longer be appropriate in the Canadian workplace. In light of this change in attitudes, employers must take note or suffer what may be very serious consequences, which are perhaps no better evidenced than the recent jury ruling by the Ontario High Court of Justice, which awarded 1.46 million dollars to an employee who claimed her manager bullied her. Continue reading →

Utah’s unique approach to workplace bullying legislation worth a second look

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Utah State Capitol

Utah State Capitol

Utah’s HB 196, Abusive Workplace Policies Act, was defeated last spring but it had some unique and refreshing aspects.  Despite placing the ill-conceived hurdle of “malice” in the path of victim/targets — something even Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB) advocates are finally acknowledging needs to be retired — HB 196 would have required Utah’s state agencies to create policies and conduct management trainings to protect their public employees. Most experts agree that the key to stopping and preventing workplace bullying rests in the hands of the employer. And, in this case state agencies could have simply expanded harassment, discrimination, or workplace violence training already in place — similar to municipalities like Ventura County, California have done recently. [see our article on Ventura].  This bill was supported by the Utah Public Employees Association.   UPEA also supported HB 251: Utah Personnel Management Act Amendments saying, “as a result of a 2010 legislative audit noting that only 8% of state managers have any management training, UPEA asked Rep. Brad Daw to sponsor this bill, which requires DHRM to develop a manager and supervisor training.” Looks like those legislative audits come in handy after all.

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