Dear Victoria,

Most employers know that newsworthy acts of violence in the workplace are relatively rare, but what many employers don't realize is that workplace voilence doesn't have to involve a fistfight or a weapon to cause major problems for employees. Many acts of violence never leave a physical mark, but can have deep emotional consequences and a profound impact on an employees morale and stress level.

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Bullies go beyond grade school. Workplace bullying is on the rise. While bullying can escalate into physical violence, it can be quite harmful to employees even if it never goes that far, and it can be extremely detrimental to an employees performance.

Most adults assume the bullies they meet are children and will be become grown ups before entering the workplace. Unfortunately, many bullies continue those tactics in the professional world - their methods are just different. Bullying in the workplace can include:

* Excluding or isolating a coworker;

* Publicly berating a targeted individual;

* Falsely accusing someone of making errors;

* Holding an employee to a higher standard than others;

* Starting or perpetuating rumors;

* Insulting am employee's character, habits, or personal life;

* Attempting to intimidate an employee by string or glaring; and

* Encouraging others to engage in bullying activities.

These behaviors may be difficult to prove, which is often why victims don't report this kind of harassment.

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Unfortunately, victims of bullying who choose to report a situation often are viewed as trouble makers. Even more disturbing is the fact that victims of bullying are more likely to be terminated or transferred. As employers are responsible for providing a safe work environment when bullying is not addressed employers can expect productivity to plummet, as bullied employees use up to 50% of their time at work defending themselves, networking for support, or thinking about their situation. They also become highly stressed and unmotivated and take more sick leave or go out on workers compensation.

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It's easy to think workplace violence won't happen at your organization but it happens every day. If employers don't have a handle on the "lesser" forms of violence, its possible they could escalate the situation. Protect yourself and your business. If you have questions on this issue or any other workplace issue please contact us at 818-704-7838.

Warm Regards,

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The Team at McCabe Consultants

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~email: victoria@mccabeconsultants.comphone: (818) 704 - 7838web: http://www.mccabeconsultants.com