HR Pulse - Fall 2008 - (Page 54)

Quashing the Workplace Bullying Bug By Brady Wilson And all these side-effects translate into depleted energy and dwindling productivity. The situation is at its worst in the health care industry. We see bullying more in hospitals than in any other work environment. Cut backs, shift work, sleep deprivation, long hours, tremendous responsibility, and huge workload are factors that make the health care sector especially susceptible. Add in a shortage of qualiﬁed personnel and a hospital becomes a relative petri-dish, the perfect breeding ground for bullying behavior. Michael Anderson, director of organizational development at one of the largest hospitals in New York state, says that the “stressful work environment, paired with the hierarchical structure of the physician/nurse relationship often creates a cascading effect of disrespectful behavior.” And the problem is producing devastating results. According to the Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute, workers who feel disrespected and devalued due to bullying take 26 percent more sick days and nearly half suffer from stress-related health problems. The study also revealed that 64 percent of workplace victims of bullying are eventually forced from their job. Anderson tells of an instance of disrespectful behavior that ended up being very costly. During surgery, a surgical assistant noticed that the number of items on the surgeons table at the end of the procedure did not match the number of items at the beginning. She pointed this out, and the surgeon barked back that he was running late and thus surgery was over. The result: the patient had to undergo a second surgery months later to remove a sponge left in their abdomen during the ﬁrst procedure. While the hospital environment is among the most difﬁcult to work in, this epidemic has further reaching consequences. A hospital is one of the most important and vital establishments to any community. Disrespectful behavior is contagious; when one staff member feels bullied, the results reverberate throughout other departments. Before long, patients are being infected. As community hubs, hospitals have the responsibility to curb this practice before it spreads. 54 HR Pulse Fall 2008 ing bullied. Incorporated in the term “bullying” is a host of inhibiting behaviors including intimidation, belittling, demeaning remarks, lack of collaboration, and even physical violence. After nearly 15 years training organizations on improving employee engagement, I have seen the debilitating effects that bullying can have on workplace productivity. Frequently missed shifts, low energy, and stiﬂed creativity are all symptoms of a bully-inhabited workplace. Bullying, however, is only a blip on a much larger continuum of “disrespectful behavior.” In the workplace, all behavior is measured against the organizations cultural norms. Disrespectful behavior, of which bullying may be a result, happens when an organization’s cultural norms are distorted. The long-term effects that an out-of-tune culture can have on your organization include: • Communication fractures • A lack of collaboration • A lack of following process and procedure • Miscommunication • Intimidation and fear. A ccording to a recent study released by the Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute, the only workplace bullying research organization in North America, nearly 40 percent of American workers report feel-

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Pulse - Fall 2008

HR Pulse - Fall 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director’s Letter President’s Message HR Leader Profile: Irma Pye Sammy’s House: Making a Difference in Austin Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies Increasing CEO Engagement Pastoral Care Retaining Scarce, Critical Talent The Engagement Dilemma Diversity Considerations…More than AAP & EEO Quashing the Workplace Bullying Bug How to Become a Strong Human Resources Partner Citizen Lobbyists Descend Upon Capitol Hill Conference Highlights Schedule at a Glance Sponsors Exhibitors Advertisers’ Index

HR Pulse - Fall 2008

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