Tag Archives: harassment

NFL Discrimination & Harassment Policies Still #Fail

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NFL hazingThe level of hazing, bullying, harassment, and discrimination that makes up the latest NFL scandal splashed across today’s national headlines requires a culture of consent. And, it will take more than singling out the racist tweets of a single player to resolve. Here’s a sampling of media reports about the NFL and it’s inability to address abusive behavior in recent years. Note: the NFL recently amended their sexual harassment policies because of concerns that scouts were asking young college hopefuls about their preference for men or women. “Do you like girls?” Feel free to add to the list of articles below that outline how long this problem has been bubbling over into the media:

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15 Years Later: Harassment Laws Still Broken

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March 8, 1998 the Washington Post published an Op-Ed in response to a Supreme Court decision, Oncale v. Sundowner. Sadly, the essence of this Op-Ed still resonates today: “Predicating harassment suits on discrimination is also something of a mismatch; what bothers people about abusive workplace conduct, after all, is not the fact that it may be discriminatory but that it is abusive in the first place… Congress should decouple Continue reading →

Using Workplace Violence Policies To Stop Workplace Bullying

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Public Employees: Connecticut

edith pragueSeveral years ago Connecticut State Senator Edith Prague wanted to pass workplace bullying legislation for public employees. The opposition argued that it was already covered under workplace violence policies and a study was requested to determine if it was indeed included. I was filming Prague’s support of the Healthy Workplace Bill at the time and remember well that she was passionate about the topic and surprised to learn that the handbook policies put in place after a tragic workplace 1998 shooting nearly 10 years earlier actually did address bullying behavior. The 2008 report concluded that: Continue reading →

Postal Service “Talks” About Workplace Bullying

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Below is the part of the Postal Service‘s “Stand up talks: respect in the workplace” campaign they provide for their employees that specifically addresses workplace bullying. Although gossiping is often considered bullying behavior, it is addressed as a separate topic. It will be interesting to see what type of impact this awareness raising effort has: Continue reading →

Who Knows What You Say About Your Bully Boss Online?

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So, your boss is making you miserable and you’re in that space where you just can’t stop talking about what they did to you today?  yesterday? tomorrow?  Detail after humiliating detail? And, it’s just not fair and you’re mad and you can’t think of enough miserable adjectives to describe the truly despicable way you’ve been treated?  And, now it’s late at night and you’re at the computer and you just want to tell the world?  Here’s a sobering infographic I found on the Internet that let’s you see just who is checking out what you have to say. Continue reading →

University Workers Complain Workplace Bullying Policies Fall Short

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When Policies Don’t Work

I would give anything to have the U.S. replicate the broad national investigation of abuse in our work cultures that Australia is currently undergoing.  [sign our petition] At least we can watch from halfway around the world and learn from information being presented.  Because, one of the issues being discussed is that policies in the workplace need certain components if they are going to be effective.   Unfortunately, here in America the most popular template for legislation, the Healthy Workplace Bill, doesn’t even require employers to put policies in place much less dictate that the point person for employees to complain to should be separate from HR.  Hopefully that will change and the bill will be amended by some smart legislator before it passes. Continue reading →