As submitted to 9 to5 National Association of Working Women October Newsletter

WORKPLACE BULLYING

In a Toxic Work Environment, It Won’t Hurt to Look at Your Options

 

I am a California Healthy Workplace Advocate and affiliated with the Workplace Bullying Institute’s legislative campaign for a Healthy Workplace bill (http://www.workplacebullyinglaw.org).   Currently, there are no laws that protect employees against workplace bullying.  The legislative campaign for a Healthy Workplace bill is growing and gaining momentum in several states and in two Canadian provinces.  There are laws to protect employees against sexual harassment, but not against workplace bullying which is just as pervasive in the workplace, and likely more damaging to the target.

It is instinctual to want to report workplace bullying.  However, in most cases, Human Resources (HR) is not your friend.  HR represents management.  When you report what has happened to you, you will likely be perceived as the problem and may then endure retaliation.  HR will contact your supervisor to say that you reported a problem.  If you are reporting a supervisor or a manager, management will likely protect that individual and not you.  Also, be careful of who you confide in.  Managers are friendly with other managers—they are expected to be in a club of their own.  Going up the ladder to complain may not garner you the results you had hoped for.  You will be labeled a troublemaker.  It may be difficult for you to find allies who will be sympathetic to your situation because co-workers are usually afraid to get involved or to speak up. 

If you are being bullied, start looking at your options and ask yourself, “Do I really want to work in this job?”  “Is my health and sanity worth it?”  You may want to seek an immediate transfer if you work in a large organization.  If you work for a small company, you may have no choice but to look for another job.  If you cannot find a transfer to another department due to blacklisting, you may have to look for another job or suffer in silence. 

I know several workers who transferred out to lower paying positions rather than to continue working in a toxic work environment.  These workers realized that nothing happened to the bully even though there were numerous complaints.  According to a Zogby International poll conducted for the Workplace Bullying Institute, only 23% of bullies are ever punished for their abusive behaviors in the workplace.

In what is now being called “The Great Recession,” it is a difficult choice to make whether to stay on the job and suffer in silence or to seek another job.  California unemployment statistics for August 2009 showed 12.2% of workers were unemployed.  It is important to note that government agencies do not track those workers who drop off the unemployment benefits list, yet who may not have found a job. 

Career experts suggest that workers should not quit a job before lining up another job or have a plan.  With fewer jobs and many more job applicants, it isn’t easy to find a job these days.  Thus, it is important to have a plan and savings to tide you over until another job can be found.  Some workers are going back to school to learn new job skills.  Take the time and look at your options.

If your supervisor is a bully and you have been written up numerous times, chances are a paper trail is being created and that is a sure sign that your days may be numbered.  It won’t hurt to update your résumé, obtain job letters of recommendations, and check out your local newspaper’s on-line “Career Builder” for jobs.  No one need know that you are looking for another job other than those that you have asked to write a letter of recommendation.

If you are experiencing anxiety and depression, please seek help immediately by seeing a doctor and asking for a referral to a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist.  It is important to take care of yourself.  Do this while you still have health insurance coverage.  If you don’t have health insurance, seek out a local community mental health organization.  It is important to have medical records that document the stress and anxiety you will likely be experiencing.  The stress you are feel may manifest itself in other ways including high blood pressure, weight gain/loss, lack of sleep, gastrointestinal problems, etc.

In this difficult economy, it isn’t easy to quit a job; but one must ask, “Is it worth it?”  Only the individual that is bullied can answer this question.   In time, the toxic work environment will affect your health, your relationships, and your career.  It may be time to start a new job search because “work shouldn’t hurt.”