Bullied at work: Practice costs productivity, health

By Heather Stanek, fdlreporter.com

Bev Kindschuh knows what it’s like to cry after work and dread the following day.

The Fond du Lac area woman is one of the estimated 54 million people nationwide who, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute, has experienced workplace bullying.

Bullying has gained attention in recent years as employers realize its emotional and financial impacts. Local experts say it costs dollars, productivity and health because the victims feel threatened and hopeless.

Kindschuh said she held a job for 12 years before bullying drove her away.

“I enjoyed working there at first,” she said.

But her happiness faded quickly. Several employees made fun of others for their work performance or appearance, she says.

She claims she soon became a target and that co-workers spread stories about her. Supervisors ignored her complaints, she claims, because some were bullies themselves.

Kindschuh started calling in sick and eventually left her job. She says she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and needed counseling.

“I don’t believe I’ll ever be the same,” she said.

Effects
Kindschuh’s experiences aren’t a new phenomenon. Workplace bullying has occurred for years, but employers today are fighting it, said Heather Payette, supervisor for Ingenuity First employee assistance program, a division of ThedaCare.

In the last two to three years, the organization has educated numerous businesses about bullying. Some have adopted anti-bullying policies.

Payette said bullying can have detrimental financial effects. Instead of working, the culprits waste company time harassing the target. Victims experience stress and lost productivity. If they need counseling, the business accumulates health-care expenses, she said.

Victims who resign cost the business talent, she added.

Bullying also reduces staff morale, said Cheryl Welch, executive administrator for the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board. If a supervisor intimidates multiple employees, teamwork disappears and productivity plummets.

“In today’s environment, a manager really needs to learn to work with employees,” said Welch.

Motives
Businesses also must know what causes bullying. In some cases, the workplace is similar to the school bus or playground, said Iolanda Oliva, a social science instructor at Moraine Park Technical College.

Child and adult bullies feel insecure, so they put others down to feel better, she explained.

At work, employees may lash out if they lose a promotion or think another is performing better, said Oliva.

“In most situations, it won’t come to an all-out fistfight, although I’m sure that has happened,” she said.

Oliva noted that bullies, regardless of age, feed off the same reaction — fear. Bullies feel more powerful if their victim cries or tries to avoid them. But targets who laugh, ignore comments or give a friendly response surprise the culprit.

“(It’s about) the fight for the position and the need for power,” she said.

Bullying can also stem from ignorance, said Welch. New managers who had strict, cruel supervisors may develop a “tyrant” mentality.

Behaviors include rolling the eyes or turning away from employees, ignoring co-workers or withholding information, Payette added.

Payette said many businesses have changed, valuing cooperation over control.

“In the past, people had to put up with things,” she said. “We’re not doing that anymore.”