Reports of bullying seem to permeate recent news reports, but most people consider this more of an issue in schools than in the workplace. However, a national study by CareerBuilder found that 35 percent of employees reported being bullied at work. This bullying results in 16 percent of workers suffering medical conditions and 17 percent quitting their job.
Many employees subject to bullying in the workplace do not realize that they may refuse to tolerate such behavior. Bullying behavior can create a hostile work environment and give rise to legal rights for employees who suffer health-related conditions or feel compelled to terminate their employment.
Examples of the many forms of bullying the CareerBuilder study found that may contribute to a hostile work environment include:
If you have been bullied at work, you should first speak to the party that has engaged in the abusive conduct. While this can be enough to discourage the bully, the next step is to escalate the situation by reporting the behavior to your supervisor. If your supervisor turns a blind eye to the inappropriate conduct, you also may need to report it to the human resources department.
While these measures may be sufficient to discourage continued workplace discrimination, you should keep records regarding acts of bullying and any reports made to supervisors or management. This information will be important if you must pursue a claim for hostile work environment discrimination.
If you are the victim of bullying in the workplace, our dedicated hostile work environment lawyers can explain your legal rights. We understand the mental stress and physical impact of intense ridicule and bullying.