Lessons from the playground: Preventing workplace bullying | Opinion

About 10 months ago my wife came home and said something was wrong, our son wouldn’t stay after school and play.

At first I didn’t think much of it, as he claimed it was because he preferred our toilet paper to the school toilet paper (a valid point). As time went on, his desire to stay after school continued to diminish and his appearance seemed disheveled at best. My wife and I chose to volunteer at the school and noticed signs of bullying towards the children in his class. This discovery and the lack of support we received led us to change schools.

Unfortunately, this is a story I have heard over and over again from friends whose children have been bullied in person and online.

Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stop once you graduate. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, nearly 80 million workers have experienced workplace bullying. According to this count:

• About 30% said they had personally been bullied and an additional 19% said they had witnessed it.
• Remote workers were more likely to report experiencing bullying (43%, including 50% in online meetings and 9% via email).
• Sixty-five percent identified their boss as a bully, 21 percent said a co-worker was a bully, and 14 percent said a subordinate was a bully.

To top it all off, many people stuck in this situation can’t simply “walk away” like we were privileged to do for my son. This begs the question: How do we overcome these troubling statistics? To foster a healthy, safe, and welcoming work environment, employers should consider creating robust policies to address abusive behavior. These policies provide simultaneous benefits: (1) they work to improve employee morale; and (2) they help create a legal defense when bullying becomes illegal. (Any time bullying is tied to an employee’s protected characteristic, it can potentially give rise to a claim under Title VII or other federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.)

While employment laws aren’t blanket codes of civility, employers can set their own guidelines and expectations (just make sure those rules don’t conflict with existing employment and labor laws, like the National Labor Relations Act). Below are seven steps employers can take to go beyond ensuring legal compliance to create a healthy, vibrant, and productive workplace culture that could increase employee retention.

Focus on the big picture:Prioritize structural and systemic prevention of bullying. Systemic prevention is the cornerstone of building and maintaining healthy organizations.

Set clear expectations: Establish policies that clearly define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Use concrete examples relevant to the workplace to ensure everyone understands the boundaries.

Consistency is key:Inconsistent application of policies can undermine employee morale and reduce employee effectiveness. Additionally, lack of uniform enforcement of rules can expose employers to legal risks.

Investing in training:Consider incorporating anti-bullying measures into your existing harassment prevention programs. In some states, such as California, this is not only recommended, but mandatory for employers with 50 or more employees.

Create a reporting process:Employees should feel comfortable raising concerns. The EEOC and the Oregon Workplace Fairness Act emphasize that employers must establish clear reporting channels and ensure employees know who to contact if they have concerns.

Investigate complaints promptly and thoroughly:Take every complaint seriously. Assign experienced staff or teams to handle investigations, ensuring that all concerns are handled with the appropriate level of care.

Regularly assess corporate culture:Conduct ongoing assessments of organizational culture. This proactive approach can help detect early signs of toxicity, enabling timely intervention.

As parents, my wife and I were fortunate to be able to remove our son from a problematic environment and place him in a safer space where he has thrived. However, I recognize that for many, particularly in the workplace, this is not a viable solution. The pain caused by bullying, whether on the playground or in the office, can leave deep scars that affect a person’s well-being and expose companies to legal action.

By implementing these measures, employers can create a workplace where individuals feel valued and protected, a place where our children, as they progress in their careers, will not have to relive the same painful experiences we hoped they would leave behind. But taking this first step is the key to building a culture of respect that lasts, from the classroom to the boardroom.

Stephen Scott is a partner in the Portland office of Fisher Phillips, a national law firm dedicated to representing the interests of employers in all aspects of employment law. Contact him at 503-205-8094 or (protected email).

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the DJC guarantees the accuracy or completeness of the information published here.