Short Report, 400 Words, Memo Format, No plagiarism

A1

Data retrieved from http://www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/problem/being-bullied/, © 2013

Workplace Harassment

is a Real Problem ____________________________________ By Sophia Ledger • 1 October 2013

____________________________________

By now, most Americans have no doubt heard

about the prevalence of bullying in schools, and

all of the repercussions that go along with it. But

more and more research shows that this

phenomenon extends well beyond childhood

and adolescence.

According to one survey administered by the

Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), roughly 53.5

million people has experienced direct bullying

and harassment on the job. As a frame of

reference, this equates to approximately the

combined populations of Washington, Oregon,

California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

According to this study, these millions of

American workers have encountered continual

abuse by one or more employees. This

mistreatment can take the form of verbal abuse,

threats, intimidation, degradation or

interference with work performance. At the

same time, an additional 15% said they have

witnessed bullying at work. More than 70% of

those bullies are bosses.

In another report, HR manager Michael Darcy

clarifies that different types of “bullying bosses”

exist, from overt cases of physical threats and

childish tantrums, to more passive-aggressive

maneuvers such as blowing off their harassing

behavior by saying something like, “I wasn’t

being serious.”

WBI provides a list of the 25 most common

behaviors displayed by workplace bullies.

Here is a portion of that list:

1. Exhibiting nonverbal intimidation such as

glaring, showing clear hostility.

2. Singling out and isolating one person from

co-workers, either socially or physically.

3. Displaying “gross,” undignified, but not

illegal, behavior.

4. Yelling, screaming, and throwing tantrums in

front of others to humiliate a person.

5. Retaliating against the person after a

complaint was filed.

6. Making verbal put-downs/insults based on

gender, race, accent, nationality, religion, or

language, disability.

WBI has reported that employees who feel

bullied experience real health problems,

including anxiety, loss of concentration,

disrupted sleep, and stress headaches. It goes

without saying that this issue can severely

impact employee morale and, in turn,

productivity.

WBI suggests the following 5 steps for

managing a bullying boss:

1. Take action ASAP

2. Learn to say “No”

3. Seek advice from co-workers

4. Be a good role model

5. Report the issue to HR.

Sophia Ledger is a staff writer for Newsworld