When you’re in high school, your parents tell you that the bullies you deal with then will be but a distant memory once you graduate and go off to start your own life. Once you hit adulthood, you won’t need to worry about being bullied or dealing with a bully ever again. Well, that’s not all together true, is it?
There are people who it seems never grow out of being a bully, and they make the office environment hostile. Your employees shouldn’t have to walk around on eggshells because another employee spits fire at every boardroom meeting. If you have an employee who consistently makes the rest of the staff uncomfortable and has engaged in verbal altercations, it’s only a matter of time before it turns physical. Though your workers’ compensation insurance will cover the missed work days and injury for any employee caught in the crosshair, that’s really not what it’s for, and it’s not fair to your employee.
Keep reading for ways to prevent workplace bullying.
Looking Out for Your Staff
Bullying doesn’t only harm your employees, it harms your organization at large. According to Forbes Magazine, one in five personnel members quit their job because of workplace bullying. In survey findings published by Safety + Health Magazine, 35 percent of respondents said they have worked with a bully. More than 300 members of the workforce were surveyed. Of the 300-person survey, 32 percent said they had stood up to the office bully, 27 percent said they spoke with their manager about the bully and another 17 percent said they did nothing.
Your staff should not have to worry about defending themselves against an antagonistic aggressor at work. If you have a bully at work, you can guarantee yourself that the targeted employees are looking for another place of employment.
How can you stop office bullying? You can stop office bullying by implementing a no-bullying policy.
When you take the initiative as the manager to stop workplace bullying, your employees will breathe a sigh of relief, but you have to follow through with the policy. Here’s how:
Employee Training: In the new-employee orientation, you should address what is and is not acceptable behavior. While it seems like this is general knowledge, a bully doesn’t readily understand it. Comments on appearance, religion, or politics should not be accepted. The same goes for workmanship. And there should be absolutely no name calling.
Supervisor Training: Supervisors should be trained to use constructive criticism. If an employee report or some other such project falls short, the supervisor should first discuss what worked well, followed by what needs to be improved. Again, there is to be no name calling or singling out an employee.
Complaint Procedures: Your employees should feel that they can come to you to disclose information about something that is going on in the office that is causing a distraction, stress or frustration. Listen to them and discuss a plan of action of how you will right the situation. Then follow through with the plan.
Bullying is completely unacceptable in the workplace. If you have an employee who continues to demean and make the staff uncomfortable, their contract termination is warranted.
You should use your workers’ compensation insurance only when it’s absolutely necessary, not because someone took a malicious prank too far. To see more business insurance packages, visit CoverHound today.
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