The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization

Step 4: Formal Enforcement Procedures to Correct Bullying

If leaders were to simply clone for bullying cases the enforcement procedures associated with antidiscrimination policies and laws, there would be a high level of distrust among employees. The historical role played by HR explains much of the distrust. That's why HR has new roles when the new policy is implemented.

Overcoming the “Sham Investigation” Tradition

According to a 2008 WBI online study that investigated employer responses to complaints about workplace bullying, only 8 percent of survey respondents believed there was a fair investigation, whereas 40 percent reported that the investigation was unfair. Two factors make an HR-led investigation “unfair,” as perceived by bullied targets. First, there are no consequences of any kind for the perpetrator, and second, the target frequently receives retaliation for filing the complaint. Of targets in that survey, 40 percent lost their job as part of the retaliation.

Here's a personal account as posted on our online WBI Forum describing how haywire an investigation can go.

I became the target of a workplace bully in Jan. 2004 at the Respiratory Care Department of a medical center. [The bully's] behavior included withholding information that I needed to do my job, making false accusations about me, blocking communication, ostracism, and general rudeness. The evidence pointed to her disapproval of my religious and political beliefs as the cause for the bullying. I first reported ...