SWE - Winter 2009 - (Page 36) Bullies are bad for business because they lead to employee turnover, absenteeism, and low morale. ed the neural circuits underpinning pain processing to the same extent, and in some cases, even moreso than the control participants without conduct disorder,” Dr. Decety said. The difference between bullies and normal kids becomes apparent when a child shows a pattern of enjoying seeing or causing others’ suffering. Giving a bully negative feedback does no good, he said. With most kids, a parent or authority figure can explain why pulling a cat’s tail or pinning the wings of an insect is inappropriate. Bullies don’t respond to verbal discipline. “Maybe they will never learn to change because that’s what they are like,” he said. “From early on, that’s the social interaction they’ve had.” Dr. Decety hopes another two to three years of research will show what kind of therapy or intervention could be used to change bullies’ behavior. Moving toward solutions While Dr. Decety’s research offers much needed data that can be applied to future therapies and interventions, more immediate solutions are taking shape. Fortunately, additional evidence is building for tougher rules against bullies. A best-selling book by Robert I. Sutton, co-director of the Center for Work, Technology and Organization at Stanford University, points out that bullies are bad for business because they lead to employee turnover, absenteeism, and low morale. The book, with its frank title, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, has created a buzz in business publications and received the 2007 Quill Award for the top business book. Women can use this information to empower themselves by acting quickly and with determination in response to a workplace bullying situation. Never allow a situation to drag on, even though it may be difficult to confront the harasser or appeal to a supervisor or human resources manager. Many companies may have little experience handling such situations, so use the opportunity to become a change agent and be seen as a calm, highminded leader. After all, employers want a productive, team-oriented workplace — an especially valuable asset in these difficult economic times. Indeed, there is an opportunity to lobby for specific, widely distributed workplace policies against bullying and for more specific laws, such as those in Sweden and Quebec. Both governments have implemented antibullying workplace legislation. Such laws would fill in the gaps in existing state and federal employment laws that fail to address the subtlety of bullying behaviors. I ISH IT! FIN PERFECT THE DEGREE YOU’VE www.finish-it.org Spent a lot of time and hard work on it right? Go for the final touch. Take the FE Exam. Tell an employer you’re serious about being an engineer. I Move to the top of the resume stack I Stand out from other applicants I Get interviews faster LAUNCH THE CAREER YOU Turn that little e into a big E. Professional Engineers move up the career track faster and earn more. P.E.s are also winning candidates for management positions. Find out what it takes. Ask NCEES. . .www.finish-it.org earned. deserve. L I E C E N S U R E : Y O U ’ R E W O R T H I T 36 SWE WINTER 2009 http://www.finish-it.org http://www.finish-it.org
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