FREQUENTLY ASKED BULLYING QUESTIONS
Got a bullying question? Wondering what you should do?
01
What is Bullying?
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It is mistreatment severe enough to compromise a targeted worker's health, jeopardize her or his job and career, and strain relationships with friends and family. It is a laser-focused, systematic campaign of interpersonal destruction. It has nothing to do with work itself. It is driven by the bully's personal agenda and actually prevents work from getting done. It begins with one person singling out the target. Before long, the bully easily and swiftly recruits others to gang up on the target, which increases the sense of isolation
02
Am I being Bullied?

You are miserable. You are harassed. Your work is sabotaged, blocked, or stolen. Perhaps, you didn't think of calling it bullying because that's what happens to kids in school, not to adults. Wrong! Workplace Bullying is experienced by more than one third of the U.S. workforce.
03
Could employees who are bullying others be given a disciplinary review for their actions?
Certainly, if they are violating an organization’s policies and procedures or code of conduct on expected workplace behavior. Also, in some jurisdictions, there is antibullying legislation; therefore, organizations within those jurisdictions may have other considerations to follow based on applicable laws.
04
How do you approach a workplace bully safely?
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Calmly inform the individual that the behavior is unwanted and unwelcome, seek support, and decline invitations to fight. If you sense any compromise on safety, do not approach the individual. Seek support instead—the support of your HR department, your management team, or even law enforcement, if necessary.
05
In developing policies, should we include bullying with our harassment policy or workplace-violence policy?
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Yes, a logical approach is to include workplace bullying within your workplace-violence or harassment policies. CPI contends that bullying IS workplace violence, and you can expand your definition of workplace violence to include bullying. You can also expand the definitions within your harassment policies to include bullying.