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The Real-World Implications Of Workplace And Cyber Bullying

I remember my first encounter with a bully – we’ll call him Paul Bugbee. He chased a neighborhood friend of mine home from school for two years, shouting destructive words, despite his parents’ pleas with the school and Bugbee’s parents. What changed the pattern? My brother, who even at the tender age of nine was more than up to the task of making sure Bugbee regretted his impulse to bully.  Even with my brother’s help, though, the humiliation of being bullied took years to overcome.

Fast forward to 2016, and bullying is alive and well. We’ve all read news stories about bullying, most in the context of kids in school and stories that are endless in social media channels. Some – the case where a Florida teen committed suicide after being bullied in cyberspace by as many as 15 classmates – seem incomprehensible. Even more disturbing, the two principal bullies’ parents refused to cooperate with the school and police. What parent could let such behavior go unchecked? Who could do that to another person? Who could be that malicious and destructive?

It turns out a lot of people are that destructive and malicious. And it also turns out bullying doesn’t end when we graduate. Bullies grow up too and go on to hold jobs. Each of us probably works with or has in the past at least one.

Employers and managers need to be sensitive to the effects of bullying, and ready to step in. Bullying in the workplace and in cyberspace doesn’t always get much attention in the media – but maybe it should.

A recent study by VitalSmarts, a leadership consultancy founded by David Maxwell, author of the excellent book Crucial Conversations, polled nearly 3,000 people on the topic of workplace bullying. A stunning 96% of respondents indicated they’d been bullied in the workplace. Other chilling statistics: 62% of bullying came in the form of sabotaging work and/or reputation; 52% in ‘browbeating, threats and intimidation’, and 4% in actual physical assault. And we’re not even talking about sexual harassment in the workplace.

Despite EEOC legislation aimed at curbing workplace harassment and bullying, few instances are reported to managers, and despite the fact that most companies have anti-harassment policies, few employees are aware of them – or choose to call the bully’s bluff. One recent exception – Julie Ann Horvath’s widely-reported departure from Silicon Valley darling GitHub – involved both sexism and harassment. Horvath took on the company first on Twitter and, after she left, in the press. The upshot: not only is bullying damaging to the victim, it cuts into productivity, has high costs, and may signal serious issues with workplace culture.

What can management do to ensure the workplace and digital space does not support a culture of bullying?

Collaborate on a mission-values statement that clearly sets forth the corporate culture – this may sound crunchy, but even the exercise will give you a sense of who’s on board and who isn’t – and may save you some time identifying potential trouble spots. 

Examine your management style. Bullying often starts at the top. Autocratic management style, rigid hierarchies, lack of accountability, passive-aggressive behavior all hide – or enable – bullying. 

Define ‘bullying’, ‘harassment’ and ‘inappropriate behavior’in your HR policies and ensure all employees are trained in what to look for and how to report issues. Don’t forget regular refreshers.

Be on the lookout for persistent retention issues. If a lot of people leave one department or group, you have a problem, and it probably involves some kind of harassment or bullying.

Take swift corrective action when bullying is revealed. Make it clear bullies aren’t rewarded – in fact, exactly the opposite. Turning a blind eye to a bully will encourage him or her. Take action.

Bullies need to be stopped. Whether it’s Paul Bugbee, chasing a kid down the street, or your CEO mocking an employee in a large meeting, or employees bashing one another on social media channels – this behavior should not be tolerated. Maybe it’s time we talk more about it. It’s a culture imperative for all of us.

A version of this was first posted on Forbes.

photo credit: Social Media Addiction via photopin (license)

When Workplace Culture And Brand Goes Horribly Wrong

Everyone’s been weighing in on the recent expose on the workplace culture at Amazon, and on what Jeff Bezos has built (or not built). Honestly, I cannot say I’m surprised. The culture there shows signs of being broken, and has been for years: if you treat your workers like interchangeable parts, that’s not culture, it’s a disconnect. It’s important to remember Amazon is only one of many, many brands that faces challenges on this front. What’s important is that we learn from feedback and listen to the warning signs.

One might argue that the numbers speak for themselves, but the collateral damage is too large to justify it: it’s not just churn, and it’s undoubtedly marred productivity. And sure, we’re talking about a brand with an innovative, groundbreaking concept that’s effectively pushed the envelope. Yes: in doing so, it has literally changed how we consume, shifting our focus to social, mobile, online and deconstructing one of the oldest archetypes in civilization (the store).

One can even argue that in the abstract, its been on the vanguard in HR: Its HR department has boldly harnessed and gathered data on performance and predictors, and transformed once soft strategies, like customer feedback and peer review, into hard and actionable data. But it’s taken the workplace zeitgeist way too far. In a dismaying acceleration of the idea that our hyper-competitive global economy requires a hyper-competitive company, it runs itself with an almost Darwinistic relentlessness — a former HR director there called it “purposeful Darwinism.”

Which is a contradiction: there is no such thing as natural selection done on purpose. That’s culling, or eugenics, or the dangerous extreme of sink or swim.

But the most glaring contradiction for me is that a workplace culture would intentionally embrace that kind of Machiavellian aspect in the first place. Is this is in fact the case, that’s not workplace culture. That’s workplace anti-culture. It’s an entirely misguided belief that pushing talent to the brink is the best way to motivate and engage them. Instead, they’re talking to reporters. So what we’ve got here is a perfect example where the pursuit of excellence has taken off at a headlong gallop towards success, and HR, employees and leaders are being dragged alongside, its foot caught in the stirrup. And now, despite the fact that this company seems to be as common in many households as running water, it will forever have “ruthless” associated with its employer brand. Let’s see how many super-bright millennials are willing to cross that threshold. This is where it gets dangerous for brands to recover.

HR and culture is about how we manage humans in the workplace, how we transform employment into true engagement, and foster a cross-pollinating kind of energy and creativity that aligns with company mission. The tools we use to do this have changed, but it’s the same pursuit. Find brilliant people to hire, keep them happy and engaged, keep them growing and learning, position them to excel and succeed.

In the case of the behemoth in question their well-bring was sacrificed in countless ways, only of which is that HR and Leaders innovated ways for competition, not collaboration, to drive every action. It appears that workers were invited to bully and undermine each other. It’s bad enough that workplace bullying is not going away. But if we’re not careful, it’s going to become seamed right into the very functionality of the workforce: one step forward, two steps back.

A version of this article was first published on Forbes on 8/21/15

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#TChat Preview: Why Compliance Is A Complex HR Necessity

The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, from 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT).

Last week we talked about the upcoming HR Technology Conference and Exposition, and this week we’re going to talk about why compliance is a complex HR necessity.

Most companies want and need to scale over time to be successful. They need to sustain that growth and they’ll need the right talent to do it.

That means the ideal goal for HR in any organization is building the best performing teams and finding the greatest talent. But that doesn’t come easy – HR can’t focus on talent acquisition and management unless compliance is addressed.

Compliance is a necessity that HR cannot ignore, but it’s increasingly complex, both in our own country and even more so as you enter the global market and have to deal with regulations from other parts of the world.

HR technology providers need to be partners in compliance for HR because it can help reduce risk and give them more time to focus on what matters most in their organization.

Sneak Peek:

#TChat Events: Why Compliance Is A Complex HR Necessity

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, Sept 9 — 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-founders and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as they talk about why compliance is a complex HR necessity with this week’s guest: Todd Owens, CEO of TalentWise, a technology company that has completely transformed one of the most critical tasks that every company depends upon for success – hiring new employees.

 

 

Tune in LIVE online Wednesday, Sept 9

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wed, September 9 — 1:30 pm ET /10:30 am PT Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin, and Steve will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: Why has compliance become such a complex task for HR to manage? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q2: What are examples of new hire compliance complexities? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q3: How can HR technology providers be better compliance partners? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Until then, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group, and in our TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!!

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#TChat Preview: The Hot HR Technology Trends of 2015

The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, from 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT).

Last week we talked about the how to recognize and stop workplace bullying and harassment, and this week we’re going to talk about the hot HR technology trends of 2015 and the upcoming HR Technology Conference and Exposition.

It’s that time again to cover the trends and current innovation in HR Technology, why they’re important, how HR and technology intersect inside modern organizations today and tomorrow.

Cloud computing, HR data management, talent analytics and best of breed and integrated HR and talent acquisition and management systems continue to be hot trends in the HR tech space.

How they can be leveraged in organizations regardless of size and strategies to make the best choices and investments in HR Tech are at the top of mind for inquiring companies.

Sneak Peek:

#TChat Events: How to Recognize and Stop Workplace Bullying and Harassment

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, Sept 2 — 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-founders and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as they talk about the hot HR technology trends of 2015 with this week’s guest: Steve Boese, co-chair of Human Resource Executive’s HR Technology® Conference and a technology editor for LRP Publications.

 

 

Tune in LIVE online Wednesday, Sept 2

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wed, Aug 26 — 1:30 pm ET /10:30 am PT Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin, and Steve will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: What’s new and interesting in HR technology this year? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q2: What should be key buyer considerations about HR tech and implementation? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q3: How can HR and tech providers work collaboratively to reach a successful end result? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Until then, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group, and in our TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!!

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#TChat Recap: How To Recognize And Stop Workplace Bullying And Harassment

This week we talked about how to recognize and stop workplace bullying and harassment.

You may have read the Amazon news recently about their toxic workplace culture. While not new news, the unfortunate fact is there are too many other “bullying” and undermining cultures in business today.

Like pollution, workplace bullying and harassment does not usually kill you right away, but an enormous amount of misery is caused — and time wasted — because of unkind words and behavior that cause hurt feelings that take a toll on workplace productivity and relative happiness.

All of us can take leadership roles in helping prevent and stop harmful behavior by example, create clear boundaries about what is and is not acceptable, and a plan for upholding these boundaries

What’s Up Next? #TChat returns Wednesday, Sept 2nd: #TChat Radio Kicks Off at 1pm ET / 10am PT — Our radio show runs 30 minutes. Usually, our social community joins us on the Twitters as well.

Next topic: #TChat Preview: The Hot HR Technology Trends of 2015 – Wednesday, Sept 2, 2015 — Our halfway point begins with our highly engaging Twitter discussion. We take a social inside look at our weekly topic. Everyone is welcome to share their social insights #TChat.

Join Our Social Community & Stay Up-to-Date! The TalentCulture conversation continues daily. See what’s happening right now on the #TChat Twitter stream in our LinkedIn group, and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics through our weekly email newsletter. Signing up is just a click away!

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#TChat Preview: How to Recognize and Stop Workplace Bullying and Harassment

The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, from 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT).

Last week we talked about why multi-generational leadership activism is in, and this week we’re going to talk about how to recognize and stop workplace bullying and harassment.

You may have read the Amazon news recently about their toxic workplace culture. While not new news, the unfortunate fact is there are too many other “bullying” and undermining cultures in business today.

Like pollution, workplace bullying and harassment does not usually kill you right away, but an enormous amount of misery is caused — and time wasted — because of unkind words and behavior that cause hurt feelings that take a toll on workplace productivity and relative happiness.

All of us can take leadership roles in helping prevent and stop harmful behavior by example, create clear boundaries about what is and is not acceptable, and a plan for upholding these boundaries

Sneak Peek:

#TChat Events: How to Recognize and Stop Workplace Bullying and Harassment

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, Aug 26 — 1 pm ET / 10 am PT

Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-founders and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as they talk about how to recognize and stop workplace bullying and harassment with this week’s guest: Irene van der Zande, Executive Director and Founder of Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International, a global nonprofit leader dedicated to teaching emotional and physical safety skills for people of all ages and abilities.

 

 

Tune in LIVE online Wednesday, Aug 26

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wed, Aug 26 — 1:30 pm ET /10:30 am PT Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin, and Irene will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: What kinds of behavior are considered workplace bullying and harassment? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q2: What is the impact of workplace bullying and harassment on productivity, morale, and turnover? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q3: How can leadership create a culture of respect and safety for everyone? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Until then, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, our TalentCulture World of Work Community LinkedIn group, and in our TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!!

Subscribe to our podcast on BlogTalkRadio, Stitcher or iTunes:

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The Complicated Nuance Of Workplace Bullying

I just didn’t want to go anymore. She made it nearly unbearable.

It didn’t start off that way, though. When we first started working together as colleagues in the same department, our relationship was amicable and tolerant. We because fast friends and got to know each other very well, including our spouses, lives and everything in between.

The first time it happened, it made me flinch inside a little, but not enough to rethink our relationship. The tenth time it happened, I felt sick every time we ran into each other in the office.

She became obsessed with my life and me. Not in a sexual way, although there might’ve been some covert element at play there. What started off as warm, daily banter each day at work because an incessant review and critique of everything I did – my job, my staff, my wife, and my life – in front of anyone who was in the office at the time.

When I finally called her out on it one day, she said she just cared about what happened to me and wanted me to succeed and be happy. I told her what she said made me feel very uncomfortable. She seemed mortified, but the very next day the behavior continued. Non-stop. For months.

Our offices were only separated by one wall and one door, so there was really nowhere for me to go. Finally I discussed it with our mutual manager, who in turn had a sit-down with both of us. For one week I received a reprieve.

But it still didn’t stop. Then I convinced our manager to get human resources involved. There were more meetings and an actual agreement drafted for her stating when to engage with me about work and when to leave me alone.

But it still didn’t stop. Not until I finally quit. I had told her more than once, in person and in writing, of how uncomfortable she constantly made me feel. She always said she was sorry and willing to change her behavior, but it never happened.

But was it workplace bullying? Harassment? HR called it harassment. Either way it was painful, the complicated nuance of her constant invasive behavior. If what she did and said to me repeatedly over time affected my ability to be productive and engaged in my job, and it was personally debilitating, meaning I took it home and struggled with it, then it’s truly unacceptable.

But was she a bully and she should have been labeled as such? She claimed to only care about my well being, to being supportive of me, not critical and demeaning.

Nearly 20 years later, we’ve reconnected online. It’s water under the bridge, shall we say. She told me how she worked really hard to change her behavior, which she actually did after some serious life changes, and was very apologetic about the past.

I know how she feels; I’ve been on both sides of the complicated nuance.

Now we want to get tougher on bullying. According to the Healthy Workplace Bill, a law that has been introduced to over 28 legislatures (26 U.S. states and 2 territories) that would affect the practices of state and local government agencies, not private employers, “harassment, intimidation or bullying” is any act that “substantially interferes with a person’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.”

However, it’s not a law anywhere in the states at this point. And most organizations would argue that they already have company policies in place that prohibit bullying and harassment and deal with them accordingly.

And even though the employment world is already heavily regulated, one major gap remains: workplace bullying. No state prohibits bullying as noted above, unless it relates to a protected group (such as race, sex or disability).

But no one can agree on what constitutes bullying either. Our recent guest on the TalentCulture #TChat Show, Jonathan Segal, an employment lawyer and partner with the international law firm Duane Morris LLP, made it clear that:

“If we make everything bullying, then nothing is.”

Having children, I realize and have already seen how teasing is a gateway drug to bullying and beyond. Many people say they experience some form of it, though. According to one recent study, 96% of American employees experience bullying in the workplace, and the nature of that bullying is changing thanks to social media and online interactions (think cyberbullying and the dissed-engaged).

Most of us agree that workplace bullying has harmful, reverberating effects, not only on the victims, but also on the witnesses. The good news is that we don’t need to wait for a law to be enacted to prevent and respond to bullying. Progressive employers who want to successfully ensure their cultures are bully-free should:

  • Beware of labels. Dr. Susan Swearer is Professor of School Psychology at University of Nebraska and Co-Director of the Bullying Research Network agrees that labeling and change (or lack thereof) are closely linked with children. She thinks that “it’s really important to think of bullying as a verb and not a noun, so bullying is a behavior that can be changed, not a character trait within a particular child. When we treat them as ‘a bully,’ then we send the message to that child that ‘You can’t change’ or ‘I don’t think you can change.’ And so we really want to communicate to these kids, ‘You know you can change and I can believe that you can change.’” Unfortunately we can carry those labels around like scarlet letters throughout adulthood.
  • Change the behavior. Yes, we know we can change, at least most of us, and so we should believe that mantra if we really want a positive, team-building, engaging, business-outcome behavior. Like Mark Fernandes told us recently, Chief Leadership Officer Chief Leadership Officer of Luck Companies, culture is the shadow of leadership, so positive values should be established by leadership and emphatically in place and embraced by the organization in order to reduce the frequency of bullying and harassment. Toxic environments breed nothing but more toxicity, and that’s allowed to permeate from the top down. So only the top down can make and drive change, igniting a bully-free culture from the inside out.

It’s time for us to unravel the bullying nuance and make it uncomplicated altogether.

#TChat Recap: The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

While this week’s #TChat Topic: The Legal and Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying, generated a great discussion, it’s a topic that not enough can be said about. Workplace bullying (my opinion is we really should include cyberbullying in here as well) is a serious topic. Whether you have openly known or were unaware that you were being bullied at work or online in social media channels, One recent study suggests that 96% of Americans have experienced workplace bullying. It’s a controversial topic that this week’s guest: Jonathan Segal, an employment lawyer and partner with the international law firm Duane Morris LLP, as well as an active TalentCulture #TChat community member, knows all too well. Jonathan shares on a recent blog post of his, that since 2003, every anti-bullying bill that has been submitted has failed to pass. And sadly, there are no laws in the U.S. that prohibit workplace bullying.

Many argue that bullying is difficult to define, which makes it hard to set the legal boundaries of what bullying is. Still, #TChat-ters did not hold back in our Community discussion to crowdsource what they feel workplace bullying is:

There’s a silent truth to what Danyel has said about workplace bullying. It’s not easy to define, but we do know what it is when we see it and experience it. Unfortunately, workplace bullying is:

Scott is right. A bully is someone who is a coward, and someone that projects their weakness onto others. And bullies, if allowed will get away with workplace and cyberbullying. If a workplace bully has a leadership role then it’s difficult to challenge this individual, and fear is also what gives bullies power to impose their will. But this doesn’t have to be the case. People can choose to do something about it and understand that:

The truth is, when workplace and cyberbullying takes place then you need to report it. It sounds easy, but for those afraid to speak out in fear of the repercussions it can be a daunting task. One of the issues with workplace bullying is that it goes undocumented. It may not solve the problem or stop the bullier from bullying, but by documenting the bullier then we start to build a trail that creates awareness of office bullying. If this doesn’t work, then:

Employees deserve to work in a culture that unleashes their creativity and passion, not fear and horror. Workplace and cyberbullying puts employees wellness in harms way. Sometimes, doctors have to advise people to quit their jobs to improve their overall well-being. Workplace bullying is a serious issue. It requires attention, and courage to speak out against. Organizations need to focus on creating measures that hold workplace bullying accountable, and develop support systems enable that employees to speak out against their bullying without fear.

Want To See The #TChat Replay?

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

Thanks again to our guest: Jonathan Segal, an employment lawyer and partner with the international law firm Duane Morris LLP, as well as an active TalentCulture #TChat community member Click here to see the preview and related reading.

#TChat Events: The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

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Workplace Bullying: Bully Be Not Proud

As we all know, Congress is dysfunctional.  But legislative activity at the state and local level is hot, particularly in the employment arena.

State and local governments across the U.S. have passed a spate of recent bills on myriad issues ranging from protecting the right of employees to carry a concealed weapon in their vehicle to limiting when employers can do criminal background checks to prohibiting employers from asking applicants or employees for their social media password.

Yet, there are no laws in the U.S. prohibiting bullying in the workplace.  Since 2003, anti-bullying bills have been introduced in 25 states. Everyone has failed.

Puerto Rico almost became the first jurisdiction to pass legislation in this area. But the Governor vetoed the legislation just last month.

But the absence of legislation specific to bullying does not mean that it is lawful.  If someone is bullied because of his or her membership in a protected group, such as gender, race or sexual orientation, then the bullying may be unlawful harassment (depending on, among other factors, severity).  But bullying unrelated to a protected group status generally is lawful.

For example, equal opportunity bullying is not unlawful.  Nor is bullying based on personal animus so long as the animus is not related to a protected group.

The problem is huge. A study published by Career Builder published 2012 indicates that 35% of employees feel they have been bullied at work.  Other studies show similar statistics.

The cost of bullying – both emotional and physical – on its victims can be substantial.  It can affect witnesses too, who may fear that they may be next and quite often leave.  Simply put, bullying is bad business.  Engagement cannot exist where bullies roam.

What are some of the steps leaders can take relative to their organizations?

1. Training

a. When training managers on harassment, include bullying, too. Tone at the top is particularly important when it comes to bullying.

b. Provide specific examples in training of what may be bullying; don’t rely on just the generic label.

c. Make clear that managers must do more than refrain from bullying; they must respond to bullying by subordinates. To ignore is to condone.

2. Evaluate

a. When we evaluate employees, particularly leaders, we should consider how they treat others.

b. Employees who engage in bullying or other disrespectful behavior should pay a price on their evaluation—and their compensation.

c. Indeed, sometimes bullying  should be cause for termination.

3. Complaint procedure

a. Employers may want to develop a procedure by which they can report what they perceive to be bullying behavior.

b. However, employers need to be careful not to include too specific a definition of bullying.  What is the difference between raising your voice and yelling? Sometimes, simply perspective.

c. Anti-bullying policies also may have quasi-contractual significance.  Don’t create expectations you cannot live up to.

d. An anti-bullying policy or procedure may collide with the NLRA as interpreted by the activist NLRB  so you may want legal advice to minimize (not eliminate) that risk.e. Make clear that bullying is what Company says it is.  By making clear that bullying is what the Company says it is, you reduce your risk of not adhering to your own policy.  You want to be progressive and protective but not a defendant for doing the right thing.

While bullies may appear strong, they are not.  They often need to make others feel bad about themselves to feel good about themselves.   We want to empower employees.  Sometimes that means un-empowering the bully.

(Author’s Note:  This Article should not be construed as legal advice or as pertaining to specific factual situations.)

(About the Author: Jonathan A. Segal is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in the Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group. He is also the managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute. The Duane Morris Institute provides training for human resource professionals, in-house counsel, benefits administrators and managers at Duane Morris, at client sites and by way of webinar on myriad employment, labor, benefits and immigration matters.

Jonathan has published more than 150 articles on employment issues, and more than 50 blogs on leadership, legal and HR issues. A contributing editor to HR Magazine, he has published more than 100 articles for the magazine. Jonathan also is a frequent contributor to Fortune/CNN and BusinessWeek.)

To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter and G+ conversation anytime. Learn more…

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#TChat Preview: The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, from 7-8 pm ET (4-5 pm PT). The #TChat radio portion runs the first 30 minutes from 7-7:30 pm ET, followed by the #TChat Twitter chat from 7:30-8 pm ET.

Last week we talked about the state of HR Technology, and this week we’re talking about workplace bullying and the legal and moral implications.

Wow. According to one recent study, 96% of American employees experience bullying in the workplace, and the nature of that bullying is changing thanks to social media and online interactions.

Even though the employment world is already heavily regulated, one major gap remains: workplace bullying. No state prohibits bullying, unless it relates to a protected group (such as race, sex or disability).

But workplace bullying has harmful, reverberating effects, not only on the victims, but also on the witnesses. The good news is that we don’t need to wait for a law to be enacted to prevent and respond to bullying.

Progressive employers who want to be successful ensure their cultures are bully-free. This week’s guest will talk about how.

Join #TChat co-creators and hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as we learn more about workplace bullying with this week’s guest: Jonathan Segal, an employment lawyer and partner with the international law firm Duane Morris LLP, as well as an active TalentCulture #TChat community member.

Sneak Peek: The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

We spoke briefly with Jonathan Segal in our video preview to learn more about this week’s #TChat topic. Check out our YouTube Channel for the full video!

Related Reading:

Jonathan Segal: Bullying At Work: Hard To Define, Even Harder To Ban

Meghan M. Biro: The Real World Implications Of Workplace and Cyberbullying

Emily Thomas: Being Ignored At Work Can Be Worse Than Being Bullied

Andrew Brushfield: Are You A Bully Boss?

Naomi Shavin: What Workplace Bullying Looks Like In 2014 — And How To Intervene

We hope you’ll join the #TChat conversation this week and share your questions, opinions and ideas with our guests and the TalentCulture Community.

#TChat Events: The Legal And Moral Implications Of Workplace Bullying

TChatRadio_logo_020813#TChat Radio — Wed, July 30 — 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT Tune-in to the #TChat Radio show Our hosts, Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman talk with our guest Jonathan Segal.

Tune-in LIVE online this Wednesday!

#TChat Twitter Chat — Wed, July 23 — 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin and our guests will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where we’ll continue the discussion with the entire TalentCulture community. Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we gather for a dynamic live chat, focused on these related questions:

Q1: What constitutes workplace bullying both legally and morally? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q2: If you witness workplace bullying or know of someone being bullied, what should you do? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Q3: What steps can business leaders take to ensure bully-free cultures? #TChat (Tweet this Question)

Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, and in our new TalentCulture G+ community. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions. See you there!!

photo credit: Mr.TinDC via photopin cc