All You Need To Know About Workplace Bullying. Bullying is a destructive force. [1] Bullying affects one in four people at work. Eighty percent of managers say bullying is happening in their team or organization. Thirty seven percent of managers say they haven’t been trained to deal with bullying. Bullying costs UK businesses up to two billion pounds each year. [2] What is bullying. Managers need to be able to spot bullying. It is behavior that is [3] Negative. e.g. aggressive communication, humiliation, deliberate exclusion, setting unachievable tasks. Persistent. i.e. isn’t just a one off but forms a pattern over time.The result of a power imbalance. bullies are often more senior to those they pick on. What bullying isn’t. 
[4] Having a strong management style. Expressing a difference of opinion. Not liking a colleague. Offering constructive feedback, guidance and advice about work related behavior. Bullying has far reaching effects. One. For organizations. [5] High turnover. Employees leave organizations where bullying is endemic. Lost innovations. People keep their heads down rather than being creative. Reduced corporate image. The organization’s external reputation suffers. Two. For teams. Reduced employee engagement. People become disillusioned with their organization. Low productivity and reduced quality of service. people don’t perform well when they are stressed by bullying. Three. For individuals. People who are targets of bullying can experience many negative effects. [6] Psychological. health problems. eighty percent of bullied people suffer from anxiety, fifty two percent panic attacks, forty nine percent depression and low self esteem. [7] Physical health problems, e.g. stomach complaints, sleep difficulties. Work performance twenty two percent of bullied people put in less effort, and twenty eight percent lose time trying to avoid the bully. [8] Five steps to tackle bullying in your team. [9] One. Spot the signs. Managers need to be able to identify when people are being bullied. Look out for. An unexplained decline in performance from an employee, or employees in the same team or department. An uncharacteristic change in a team member’s behavior or attitude. An increase in levels of absence due to stress an increase in staff turnover in a particular team or department. Two. Be a positive role model. Encourage a positive working culture in your team. Promote honesty, openness and respect. Three. Respond quickly. This sends a clear message that you won’t tolerate bullying. It will encourage other targets to speak out. Four. Follow procedures. [10] It’s essential managers follow their organization’s bullying or harassment policies closely. Don’t go it alone involve HR if you need support. Five. Offer support.  Being a victim of bullying is traumatic. You can help by providing emotional support. checking in regularly with team members. offering access to other forms of support e.g. Counseling, mediation, trained harassment advisors.

References
[1] General Bullying Statistics, http://hrdiversity.co.uk/statistics/ (accessed 2 August 2015).
[2] Noreen Tehrani ‘Bullying at Work, Beyond Policies to a Culture of Respect’ CIPD Guide (2004). Available at: www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D9105C52-7FED-42EA-A557-D1785DF6D34F/0/bullyatwork0405.pdf (accessed 2 August 2015).
[3] Ibid.
[4] The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, ‘Bullying in the Workplace Factsheet’. Available at: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/bullying.html (accessed 2 August 2015).
[5] Do You Have Workplace Bullies at Your Job? Available at: www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/workplace-bullying.html (accessed 2 August 2015).
[6] The Health and Safety Executive, ‘Advice for Individuals on Bullying.’ Available at: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/furtheradvice/bullyingindividuals.htm (accessed 2 August 2015).
[7] The Workplace Bullying Institute, ‘Mental Health Harm - Psychological-Emotional-Mental Injuries’. Available at: www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/impact/mental-health-harm/ (accessed 3 August 2015).
[8]  C Pearson. Workplace Incivility Study, University of North Carolina (1999), cited in Peyton, Dignity at Work, p 14.
[9] The Health and Safety Executive, ‘Advice for Individuals on Bullying.’ Available at: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/furtheradvice/bullyingindividuals.htm (accessed 2 August 2015).
[10] Ibid.