Workplace Bullying

By Jeanna Bryner LiveScience Staff Writerposted: 31 October 2006

The office might be far from the playground, but it’s not off limits to bullies. From a screaming boss to snubbing colleagues, bullies can create a “war zone” in the workplace.

In a recent study, bullied employees likened their experiences to a battle, water torture, a nightmare or a noxious substance. Understanding the seriousness of workplace bullying and what it feels like to get bullied could help managers put the brakes on the behavior, shown to afflict 25 to 30 percent of employees sometime during their careers.

“Many Americans are familiar with sexual and racial harassment, but not generalized workplace bullying,” said study team member Sarah Tracy of Arizona State University. Bullying can lead to higher company costs including increased employee illness, use of sick days, and medical costs, ultimately affecting productivity, she added.

Workplace bullying can include “screaming, cursing, spreading vicious rumors, destroying the target’s property or work product, excessive criticism, and sometimes hitting, slapping, and shoving.” Subtle behaviors, such as silent treatment, disregard of requests and exclusion from meetings, count as bullying.

The scientists interviewed 17 women and 10 men ranging from 26 to 72 years old, who had experienced bullying. Often, people have trouble putting into words their emotions surrounding bully behavior. So the researchers analyzed the metaphors found throughout the participants’ descriptions of bullying.

More than any other metaphor, participants characterized bullying as a contest or battle, with a female religious educator saying, “I have been maimed. … I’ve been character assassinated.” Others expressed feeling “beaten, abused, ripped, broken, scared and eviscerated,” the researchers stated in the upcoming issue of the journal Management Communication Quarterly.

The bullies were described as two-faced actors, narcissistic dictators and devils, leading workers to feel like vulnerable children, slaves and prisoners in these situations. As one employee explained, "I feel like I have 'kick me' tattooed on my forehead."

Bully-proof office
How can you take the bite out of a bully-fied office? “An important first step of changing workplace bullying, is helping people to understand that it's more than just kid stuff,” Tracy told LiveScience.

Early intervention can nip bullying in the bud before it escalates into an established pattern, one resulting in high company costs. The problem is that most bully victims keep their mouths shut, whispering their horrid experiences to close friends rather than higher-ups. The use of metaphors, the researchers suggested, is more subtle and more likely to seep into conversations both public and private.

The scientists will continue examining the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying. In another research project, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Office Management, they found that out of more than 400 U.S. workers surveyed, 25 percent were bullied at work.

What Is Stress

Stress Kills, But What Is It?

Stress is work, traffic, relationships, time, money, kids, etc. We see stress as the outside forces that affect us, make us nervous and tighten our shoulders. We all have our own ways of coping with stress. People play golf, soak in a hot tub, smoke, drink coffee and exercise. In this sense, the solution to managing stress seems simple. But we must consider how our bodies interpret stress and even more important, how stress affects us physically. Whatever the source of the stress, our bodies translate it into pressure and tension; our bodies tighten up in reaction to stress. Regardless of the type of stress, physical reactions may include:

• Artery constriction (heart disease, high-blood pressure and strokes)
• The lymphatic system working overtime (decreased immunity, cancer, etc.)
• The digestive system slowing down (liver problems, digestive difficulties)
• Muscles pulling on the joints (arthritis, inflammation, disc problems)

This is a simplification of what really happens in the body. But it demonstrates the wear and tear that stress may take over time. If your body is consistently tense it may not function properly; every system in the body is challenged to work harder. In essence, you could be forcing your body to operate incorrectly without even realizing it. The best way to isolate stress is to think about how the nervous system is affected.

"You're a bundle of nerves!"

You've heard this before and probably have even been accused of it. Your nerves are connected to the outside world through your senses. The nervous system is one part of the body that may suffer when exposed to the stressful events that bombard us constantly. Negative impact on the nervous system may generate serious physical symptoms. Under stress, the nervous system may become overworked and your perception of the tension in your body can increase. The body may respond with headache, nausea, stiff joints, back pain, etc. Your body taps the nutrients needed to run the nervous system. You may be unable to feel these nutrients being depleted. It is important that needed nutrients are supplied to your nerves.

Therefore, proper diet, exercise and stress reduction exercises along with acceptance & self awareness that you are having issues are essential to your ongoing health. Please see the related sites on the left handside of this page under both articles and important links for further iformation. Help

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