Tag Archives: documentary

Documentary features NY fight for Workplace Bullying Law

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Several major publications have recently posted articles on the topic…hopefully this means victims will start getting the attention they deserve and a better law.   As someone whose life was turned upside down by an abusive boss all I can say is — it’s about TIME.  I’ve been making documentaries for 20 years that have been well received at major film festivals and on TV (HBO, PBS etc).  Last year I launched an online documentary about the struggle to pass legislation to stop abusive bosses.  This is probably the hardest of all the topics I’ve taken on.  The stigma attached to victims makes it difficult for people to take seriously.   And the mainstream press rarely goes beyond the “go to” sites to do some real in depth reporting…it’s much more complicated than the ‘branding’ that’s out there.

(Click here to see videos)

Can OSHA help stop Workplace Bullying?

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I had a chance to attend Susan Harthill’s presentation at the recent Int’l Conference on Workplace Bullying & Harassment held last month in Cardiff.  Her academic article (“The Need for a Revitalized Regulatory Scheme to Address Workplace Bullying in the United States: Harnessing the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act”) suggests that OSHA may be able to help victims/targets of Workplace Bullying: “OSHA’s existing regulatory scheme should incorporate workplace bullying because OSHA is a singularly appropriate vehicle for such efforts and because prevention of workplace bullying through an existing scheme complements efforts to enact new legislation specifically addressing the problem.”  Continue reading →

China and workplace suicides

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This week the New York Times reported that a young Chinese factory worker  jumped to his death from his dorm window.  He worked 11 hours a day, 7 days a week for about $1 an hour.  A demotion left him cleaning toilets.  He was one of 10 workers from the same company who committed suicide and media attention has resulted in several large pay increases for employees.  Continue reading →

Growing charges of work discrimination: “Age”, “Religion”, and “National Origin”

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EEOC data shows that the total number of charges of discrimination in the workplace based on “age,” “national origin” and “religion” have risen dramatically since 1997.  And Judging from the rapid growth of “retaliation” claims, it looks like speaking out still carries great risks.  Continue reading →

NY’s Workplace Bullying Legislation Could Fill Gap In Current Workplace Violence Policy

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Some time ago NY passed a Workplace Violence policy to protect public employees and part of that law includes worker-on-worker violence.  But, Matt London of PEF, one of the main people crafting the policy, says: “the current law only covers bullying if there is a physical assault or the explicit threat of physical violence.”  Instead they are “strongly encouraging agencies to have their programs include a broader definition of workplace violence, one which includes bullying.”   The Healthy Workplace Bill recently passed in the NY State Senate and now waiting for a vote on the Assembly side is expected to fill that gap — and it protects private employees as well!

Is Your Boss “Tough” or a Workplace Bully?

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The Wall Street Journal reported that the anti-workplace bullying legislation that slid through the NY Senate this month met with complaints that it’s too subjective to define.  The same argument that was used against Sexual Harassment and Domestic Violence .  Continue reading →