Monstrous Bullying

Monster.com features a basic explanation of workplace bullying in their two-part series, Workplace Bullying: What Can You Do? Start reading it here:

It's hard to pinpoint how it started. Maybe it was when you saw your manager's assistant noting those rare occasions when you came in 10 minutes late. Or maybe it was the time the boss half-jokingly trashed your performance -- in front of her higher-up.

There now seems no end to your tormentor's campaign of psychological harassment and personal and professional destruction -- aimed squarely at you. The nitpicking, the demeaning comments, the misleading digs and full-blown lies have all come together to exact their intended effect: to make you quit or get fired.

This is the ugly picture of bullying in the American workplace, painted by workers who describe themselves as targets and by the professionals who advocate for them. "My supervisor would take my case files to inspect them, and then write me up at the end of the day because the files weren't complete," says a former employee of a California social-service nonprofit. "He undermined me all around, which is not what a good supervisor does."

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Workplace Bullying and the Murder of Annie Le

I want to share with you excerpts from a letter I received from Katherine Hermes (pictured at right), a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University.

Katherine writes:

"Annie Le, a Yale graduate student who worked in a lab, was the co-worker of her alleged killer, Ray Clark. Clark reportedly sent emails to her berating her for her lack of proper protocol concerning the lab's mice. Workplace bullies inflict this kind of petty tyranny upon targets every day. It is not every day that they murder their targets, as Ray Clark is charged with doing. ( newsday.com)

" Newsnet5.com recently reported a former college athlete in Connecticut has alleged that his coach made him drink blood in front of teammates. While there are racial overtones to this incident, it is also an instance of bullying. Like Annie Le, the student athlete hovers between "school" (bullying is banned by law in Connecticut schools from K through 12) and work (there are no workplace bullying laws).

"In that college/work space, the opportunities for bullying are rife. So much depends on one's performance and compliance, from scholarships to housing to careers, that targets are naturally reluctant to speak out."

Thank you, Katherine for that succinct description of the difficulties inherent in workplace bullying.

In Connecticut, graduate student workers or student athletes who have been bullied are encouraged to write to their state legislators, asking them to include in the Healthy Workplace Bill provisions for protecting those who are also the employees of their colleges or are holding some sort of contract for services rendered.

Most other states do not have this option as there is no Healthy Workplace Bill. However, the Workplace Bullying Institute is working toward passage of a Healthy Workplace Bill in every state.

Research done by the Workplace Bullying Institute and Zogby polls reveal 37% of the American workforce has experienced bullying at some time. Please join the Workplace Bullying Institute in work toward passing the bill in your state.

Workplace Bullying Goes to School

Sioux City District First in Nation with Bullying Prevention Program for Adults

Schools and student bullying are a September tradition. However, this year, there is a new twist. The Sioux City (Iowa) Community School District (SCCSD) is taking bold steps to prevent bullying among teachers, staff and administrators. They are first district in the nation to launch an anti-bullying program for adult employees, according to Dr. Gary Namie, founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute.

Interested school district administrators are invited to call 360-656-6603.

The Workplace Bullying Institute is consultant to the District with its nearly 2,000 employees and 28 schools. Through its consulting firm, Work Doctor, Inc., the WBI founders adapted their Blueprint for Workplace Bullying Prevention designed for corporate use to fit the public school district as employer. Work Doctor was the first consulting firm in the U.S. to directly design organizational solutions for workplace bullying.

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My favorite search engine is everyone else's favorite, too

Alison Doyle reveals that my favorite search engine has leaped ahead of the pack in her article, "Indeed tops the job charts."

You can try it out on the Resources page of this Web site.

The thing I like best about it is that it does all of the work for me. Say I'm looking for a sales position in Minneapolis and Sioux Falls, SD. I fill in that information (zip code(s) and position), and Indeed will email me the results of that search every day.