Bullying in the Workplace

Elementary school, high school, college, and especially in the workplace of adults the concept of bullying has always been an ongoing factor which became a global issue. “In general terms, bullying describes a wide variety of negative workplace behaviors including verbal threats, personal attacks, humiliation, innuendo, and deliberate isolation of a colleague.” Bullying in the workplace has been identified as a major contemporary challenge for occupational health and safety. These negative workplace behaviors are frowned upon, but are still performed by managers and co-workers. Bullying is also related to violence and stress at home. These hazards are often termed psychosocial risks.
Many other countries including the United States has taken action on the epidemic. Canada, Australia, and nine European countries have enacted anti-bullying laws, including Sweden, France, and Denmark. Other countries have opted for non-regulatory instruments, such as codes of practice and provisions in collective bargaining agreements. “Under workplace health and safety legislation, employers have a duty of care to provide a safe work environment for employees, visitors, and contractors. This requirement is often interpreted to require ensuring persons in the workplace are both mentally and physically safe at work and that their health is not adversely affected by work, and has been also interpreted to require a workplace free from bullying.” With these new precautions in place, employees can still be subject to any form of bullying and still have very little legal recourse. A number of bills regarding bullying have been proposed but have yet to pass legislation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration have been battling this bullying for years. The help of the managerial positions to spread the word and emphasize the importance of this subject to all employees is needed.
“Bullies use a wide range of subtle tactics and behavior to intimidate colleagues at work,