Harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace

In the United States 30% of workers reported being bullied in 2021, compared to 19% in 2017, according to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute. The survey, conducted by Zogby Analytics, also found an additional 19% of American workers witnessed someone else being bullied on the job.

Remote workers were bullied at a higher rate than those working on site, with 50% of bullying happening during remote meetings and 9% via email.

The survey also found:

• 67% of bullies were men, while 33% were women.
• Male bullies target other men 58% of the time, and women 42% of the time.
• Female bullies target other women 65% of the time, and men 35% of the time.

The survey noted that it can be hard for victims of bullying to successfully pursue a harassment case if they’re the same gender as their perpetrator, because it’s hard to prove that the perpetrator’s gender was a factor in their mistreatment of the victim.

Because of this, the survey found, bullying cases involving two people of the same gender “tend to fall outside the protections afforded both by federal and state laws as well as employer anti-harassment policies.”

Failing to address sexual harassment or workplace bullying can harm your business in many ways, from lost productivity, a loss of your business’s reputation, and the victims filing a lawsuit. It could also lead to workplace violence.

Bullying can involve an employee belittling or name-calling their co-workers over someone’s marital status, age, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, and other personal information that has nothing to do their workplace performance or decision-making on the job.

According to the Healthy Workplace Campaign, an organization that seeks to enact anti-bullying laws, workplace bullying is “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators.” Usually, this behavior manifests through…

• Verbal abuse
• Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating conduct
• Sabotage that prevents the target from getting work done

Like most employers, the last thing you want is to create a work environment that your employees dread. After all, such a workplace can hamper morale and productivity.

The Workplace Bullying Institute outlines several signs that your employees or supervisors may be bullying others:

Ignoring / excluding. If you notice workers purposefully ignoring or excluding someone or “forgetting” to invite someone to a meeting, know that this is one of the first clues of an escalating bullying problem.

Rationalization. Is a supervisor constantly defending his behavior for acting in a particular manner toward a certain employee? You may need to dig a little deeper and see what’s really going on.

Belittlement. Be on the lookout for those who fail to address someone’s legitimate concerns or feelings or those who incessantly disparage someone’s ideas or work.

Undermining work or stealing credit. Blocking an employee’s work or taking credit for their ideas and contributions is a form of bullying.

Criticism. Take note when a worker or supervisor is constantly criticizing someone for unwarranted reasons.

Aggression. Perhaps one of the biggest signs that you’re dealing with a workplace bully: they yell or shout at an employee or act aggressively toward them (for example, pounding a desk).

Intrusion. Ensure your workforce knows that tampering with someone’s personal belongings and needlessly lurking around their desk is a form of bullying and won’t be tolerated.

Embarrassment. Embarrassing or humiliating an employee in front of others is a surefire form of bullying. For example, someone name-checks an employee during a meeting to shame her for the “inefficient” part she played in a project.

Revenge. Does a supervisor or employee seem to have a vendetta against a certain individual? Keep your eyes peeled for those seeking “revenge” when a small mistake happens.

Threats. No employee should constantly feel as though their job is on the line. Watch out for language that threatens unwarranted discipline or termination.

Gossip. Is someone the butt of demeaning jokes or untrue rumors and gossip? If so, you need to step in and make sure the perpetrators know such behavior is unacceptable.

Though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission doesn’t regulate workplace bullying, there are times when it can be considered harassment – a form of discrimination the EEOC does monitor.

Workplace bullying can be considered harassment if the conduct is directed at the target because of their membership in a protected class. Protected classes are a group of men and women who may experience employment discrimination on the basis of their…

• Sex
• Race
• Religion
• Color
• Nationality
• Age
• Physical or mental disabilities

For example, if one of your managers constantly makes fun of an employee because of their religion, they could sue your business for illegal harassment. Similarly, if a manager impedes a female employee’s progress at work and belittles her, she could sue for discrimination.

Bullying not only hurts the individuals targeted by the mistreatment – it hurts businesses, too. In workplaces with bullying problems, the employee absentee and turnover rates are high. That means businesses have to invest more in hiring and training new employees. Plus, a business with a bad bullying reputation may have a hard time recruiting new talent once the word gets out about why employees won’t stick around.

Left unchecked, harassment and bullying problems can lead to low productivity and health problems for employees. The Zogby survey cites that 45% of individuals bullied at work suffer cardiovascular problems, impaired immune systems, debilitating anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. This means employees may end up filing more workers’ compensation claims, which can drive up your premium rates.

Plus, bullied employees can always sue a business for the emotional distress workplace harassment or bullying caused. Though you should protect your business from the cost of these lawsuits with employment practices liability insurance, you should also take measures to ensure workplace bullying isn’t tolerated. 

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