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The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization
At long last a guidebook for employers that discusses workplace bullying from America's unrivaled leaders and creators of the workplace bullying consulting institute. Managers will learn how and why to stop bullying; prepare executives to lead the campaign and to resist undermining efforts of subordinates; and create a new, positive role for human resources. Outlining the required steps, The Bullying-Free Workplace includes information on how to create a preventive policy that brings consequences, like never before, when violated. The authors discourage half-hearted, short-term fixes that are prevalent today, and present their signature Blueprint methodology to successfully protect employee health and eradicate the psychological violence from organizations.
- GenresPsychology
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 25, 2021
This is a must-read for anyone in a managerial or leadership role. Bullying costs organizations so much time, productivity, and has serious mental and physical health repercussions. The Namies (authors) lay out emperical data and practical solutions for organizations to address the problems of leaders who do not know how to manage others and who abuse their power in often sadistic and incredibly harmful ways.
October 15, 2023
Dr Gary Namie and his wife, Dr Ruth Namie, run the U.S.-based Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) that provides resources to individuals experiencing workplace bullying and its effects, as well as to those rare organizations that genuinely wish to tackle the phenomenon. Their informative YouTube channel is a really useful resource for those who find themselves targeted by a workplace bully. Gary and Ruth Namie also appear frequently as advocates in the documentary
Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal.
While I've found the WBI videos and website really useful to understand some past experiences and industry patterns, this is the first time I've read one of their books. It's a fascinating insight into a subject that is vast and far reaching in today's world.
Bullying can cover a wide range of workplace behaviours. When the subject comes up, those enablers of bullying often become defensive, and say things like, 'It's not bullying to want people to do their work', or 'Jim gets things done no matter the cost; we need people like this in our business.' (I've noticed this myself - this is not a quote from the book, though this defensive pattern is noted several times in the book.)
When people make statements like this, you know immediately that they really don't understand the nature of workplace bullying. The typical profile of a bullying target is, in fact, that they are conscientious in regard to their work ethic, technically usually more skilled than their bully, well-liked, ethical, and honest. They tend to have a fundamental optimism about human nature, which means that they can take time to confront the bully; this is often their Achilles heel. They often don't meet aggression with aggression, because this does not come naturally to them. In fact, WBI research has shown that this is often the only effective way to get a workplace bully to stop targeting you. Another expert source that I've spoken to in researching this issue also mentioned to me that industry veterans are often bullied with more frequency than others in organizations.
Workplace bullying can include intimidation, excessive monitoring, stalking or spying, witholding information vital to the job, blaming an individual for something that is beyond their control, exclusion from meetings important to a target's job, consistent belittling, manipulation of job targets or role boundaries, and the spreading of malicious rumours or gossip (this list is not exhaustive, as people with these tendencies can be quite inventive in finding ways to torment their targets). It is a soul destroying experience for most people who have been through it.
Workplace bullies are often highly agreeable towards senior leaders in an organization, so when the target reports the bullying, their complaints often fall on deaf ears. The book cites a study that challenges the Darwinian view of leadership that is frequently taught in business schools today. This is not, in fact, how humans evolved to operate, and when Machiavellian imposters who bully frequently are placed in leadership positions, they are threatening the functional integrity of an organization and jeopardizing its success over the longer term.
Due to their desire to appear agreeable in front of senior leadership, workplace bullies often use one-to-one meetings as an opportunity to undermine and dehumanize targets. Unfortunately, 72% of bullies outrank their targets in the organizational chart, meaning there is a pre-existent power imbalance, and many businesses have an ethos that encourages this behaviour to proliferate within senior management. This is not a trivial matter, as lives can literally be at stake, particularly in the U.S., where there is little legal fallback for targets. The books cites an example of a chemical worker deprived routinely of protective equipment by a supervisor who hated him, causing fatal health problems. However, many people also suffer deep health problems from psychological bullying, including heart attacks, strokes, and other effects of chronic long-term stress.
Typically, bullies will deny what they have done if a complaint is lodged, and in many cases, this is accepted by HR in U.S. based companies without question. (In my own opinion, this will never change until all one-to-one meetings and evaluations are routinely recorded by law, but my guess is that this won't happen until litigation explicitly starts to hurt the bottom line of companies.) While I think Europe can be a little different in this regard, with HR taking a broader role, it does seem to be the case that many HR departments are still limited to mediation as a proposed solution, when the situation calls instead for restorative justice (as the book points out) and an acknowledgement that the behaviour of the bully has been damaging.
Workplace bullies can be deeply mendacious, cunning, and sometimes sadistic in how they go about targeting the individual they have chosen to undermine or even destroy. A 2007 survey by the WBI showed that 71% of female workplace bullies targeted other women, with that figure rising to 80% in a 2010 survey. Male bullies, who are still the majority of bullies, by contrast target women 46% of the time. Bullying in the workplace is not based on protected characteristics, though it is still harassment and it is still pscyhological violence.
Studies cited in the book have shown that the effects of workplace bullying are akin to the effects of domestic abuse. To add insult to injury, 40% of those targeted who choose to lodge a formal complaint lose their job as a result of the ensuing investigation. The U.N. has called the phenomenon of workplace bullying an epidemic, and while this may seem alarmist to those who are happy in their jobs, it seems about right to me.
Bullying is defined in Ireland as actions that 'could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to dignity at work.' Of course, rights come with responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to do what we can to avoid being a silent bystander while another individual is being bullied in our workplace. When you're unsure of your footing in an organization, this can be difficult. Bullying, over time, undermines your organization as much as it does the individuals within it.
This husband-and-wife team made it their mission to address this issue when Ruth Namie had a harrowing experience being targeted by a bully in a healthcare environment in which she worked. They have been stalwarts of the movement to address this epidemic for some years, and their understanding of it is profound. They are realistic about the chances of rehabilitating the bully figures in our world via workplace training: zero to nil. It's usually extremely deeply ingrained in the workplace bully's personality to behave this way. However, these individuals can certainly be trained to modify their behaviour if organizations begin to foster cultures in which it's not in the bullly's interest to create misery for those around them. If the bully ups and leaves in frustration, all the better.
This book provides great insight into a subject that is, sadly, extremely common in our society, yet so often of little concern to those at the top of corporations. It offers a clear blueprint to address the issue in your organization. We have a long way to go before it is resolved in any meaningful way, but the Namies have certainly made a significant contribution to raising awareness and providing organizations with incentives and tools to improve work and business for everyone (except for the vipers in our midst).
While I've found the WBI videos and website really useful to understand some past experiences and industry patterns, this is the first time I've read one of their books. It's a fascinating insight into a subject that is vast and far reaching in today's world.
Bullying can cover a wide range of workplace behaviours. When the subject comes up, those enablers of bullying often become defensive, and say things like, 'It's not bullying to want people to do their work', or 'Jim gets things done no matter the cost; we need people like this in our business.' (I've noticed this myself - this is not a quote from the book, though this defensive pattern is noted several times in the book.)
When people make statements like this, you know immediately that they really don't understand the nature of workplace bullying. The typical profile of a bullying target is, in fact, that they are conscientious in regard to their work ethic, technically usually more skilled than their bully, well-liked, ethical, and honest. They tend to have a fundamental optimism about human nature, which means that they can take time to confront the bully; this is often their Achilles heel. They often don't meet aggression with aggression, because this does not come naturally to them. In fact, WBI research has shown that this is often the only effective way to get a workplace bully to stop targeting you. Another expert source that I've spoken to in researching this issue also mentioned to me that industry veterans are often bullied with more frequency than others in organizations.
Workplace bullying can include intimidation, excessive monitoring, stalking or spying, witholding information vital to the job, blaming an individual for something that is beyond their control, exclusion from meetings important to a target's job, consistent belittling, manipulation of job targets or role boundaries, and the spreading of malicious rumours or gossip (this list is not exhaustive, as people with these tendencies can be quite inventive in finding ways to torment their targets). It is a soul destroying experience for most people who have been through it.
Workplace bullies are often highly agreeable towards senior leaders in an organization, so when the target reports the bullying, their complaints often fall on deaf ears. The book cites a study that challenges the Darwinian view of leadership that is frequently taught in business schools today. This is not, in fact, how humans evolved to operate, and when Machiavellian imposters who bully frequently are placed in leadership positions, they are threatening the functional integrity of an organization and jeopardizing its success over the longer term.
Due to their desire to appear agreeable in front of senior leadership, workplace bullies often use one-to-one meetings as an opportunity to undermine and dehumanize targets. Unfortunately, 72% of bullies outrank their targets in the organizational chart, meaning there is a pre-existent power imbalance, and many businesses have an ethos that encourages this behaviour to proliferate within senior management. This is not a trivial matter, as lives can literally be at stake, particularly in the U.S., where there is little legal fallback for targets. The books cites an example of a chemical worker deprived routinely of protective equipment by a supervisor who hated him, causing fatal health problems. However, many people also suffer deep health problems from psychological bullying, including heart attacks, strokes, and other effects of chronic long-term stress.
Typically, bullies will deny what they have done if a complaint is lodged, and in many cases, this is accepted by HR in U.S. based companies without question. (In my own opinion, this will never change until all one-to-one meetings and evaluations are routinely recorded by law, but my guess is that this won't happen until litigation explicitly starts to hurt the bottom line of companies.) While I think Europe can be a little different in this regard, with HR taking a broader role, it does seem to be the case that many HR departments are still limited to mediation as a proposed solution, when the situation calls instead for restorative justice (as the book points out) and an acknowledgement that the behaviour of the bully has been damaging.
Workplace bullies can be deeply mendacious, cunning, and sometimes sadistic in how they go about targeting the individual they have chosen to undermine or even destroy. A 2007 survey by the WBI showed that 71% of female workplace bullies targeted other women, with that figure rising to 80% in a 2010 survey. Male bullies, who are still the majority of bullies, by contrast target women 46% of the time. Bullying in the workplace is not based on protected characteristics, though it is still harassment and it is still pscyhological violence.
Studies cited in the book have shown that the effects of workplace bullying are akin to the effects of domestic abuse. To add insult to injury, 40% of those targeted who choose to lodge a formal complaint lose their job as a result of the ensuing investigation. The U.N. has called the phenomenon of workplace bullying an epidemic, and while this may seem alarmist to those who are happy in their jobs, it seems about right to me.
Bullying is defined in Ireland as actions that 'could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to dignity at work.' Of course, rights come with responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to do what we can to avoid being a silent bystander while another individual is being bullied in our workplace. When you're unsure of your footing in an organization, this can be difficult. Bullying, over time, undermines your organization as much as it does the individuals within it.
This husband-and-wife team made it their mission to address this issue when Ruth Namie had a harrowing experience being targeted by a bully in a healthcare environment in which she worked. They have been stalwarts of the movement to address this epidemic for some years, and their understanding of it is profound. They are realistic about the chances of rehabilitating the bully figures in our world via workplace training: zero to nil. It's usually extremely deeply ingrained in the workplace bully's personality to behave this way. However, these individuals can certainly be trained to modify their behaviour if organizations begin to foster cultures in which it's not in the bullly's interest to create misery for those around them. If the bully ups and leaves in frustration, all the better.
This book provides great insight into a subject that is, sadly, extremely common in our society, yet so often of little concern to those at the top of corporations. It offers a clear blueprint to address the issue in your organization. We have a long way to go before it is resolved in any meaningful way, but the Namies have certainly made a significant contribution to raising awareness and providing organizations with incentives and tools to improve work and business for everyone (except for the vipers in our midst).
April 29, 2021
The Namie's book is a must read for all workplace leaders. They have done extensive work and research to enlighten the public about this very psychologically traumatic issue.
It is truly amazing that an individual can serve this country as a military veteran and come home to so much lack of dignity and respect issues from a workplace bully. Employees are spoken to like prisoners-of-war by arrogant leaders who know nothing about operational details and only have strategic plans that never gets off the ground.
If you passed a bully the trash it would be more than they deserve!
I agree with the Namie's:
"Workplace bullying must be addressed by the organizations leader. It should not be delegated to the Human Resource (HR) department to solve. Many HR departments see their primary function as management support."
I reported a workplace bully to his boss and the next thing you know I was sitting in a room with two Labor Relations specialists from HR, a woman, and a really huge guy who reminded me of Xerxes from the movie "300." They told me to have a seat in the office with two doors and they both came through a seperate door at the same time and sat in front of me on the other side of the table like we were in a police interrogation. I explained my statement to them over and over again while "Xerxes" was talking in a deep voice saying words like "listen, I like you..." But they seemed more concerned that I had bothered a bigger boss. I emailed my complaint to the boss, and the HR people said to me with a grin chuckle "I would think twice before hitting that send key on your computer." I kindly replied, "I did, and that's why I sent it." Xerxes lost his smile.
In typical fashion any investigation involving management is unfair, inadequate, and there is never a follow-up.
"Bullying makes the workplace an irrational and scary place to spend your working hours."
PhD's Gary and Ruth Namie are the solutions and they are loaded with ideas for all of us, especially the politicians who need to adapt legislation. This book is very informative and an easy 5 star read.
Thank you Ruth & Gary.
It is truly amazing that an individual can serve this country as a military veteran and come home to so much lack of dignity and respect issues from a workplace bully. Employees are spoken to like prisoners-of-war by arrogant leaders who know nothing about operational details and only have strategic plans that never gets off the ground.
If you passed a bully the trash it would be more than they deserve!
I agree with the Namie's:
"Workplace bullying must be addressed by the organizations leader. It should not be delegated to the Human Resource (HR) department to solve. Many HR departments see their primary function as management support."
I reported a workplace bully to his boss and the next thing you know I was sitting in a room with two Labor Relations specialists from HR, a woman, and a really huge guy who reminded me of Xerxes from the movie "300." They told me to have a seat in the office with two doors and they both came through a seperate door at the same time and sat in front of me on the other side of the table like we were in a police interrogation. I explained my statement to them over and over again while "Xerxes" was talking in a deep voice saying words like "listen, I like you..." But they seemed more concerned that I had bothered a bigger boss. I emailed my complaint to the boss, and the HR people said to me with a grin chuckle "I would think twice before hitting that send key on your computer." I kindly replied, "I did, and that's why I sent it." Xerxes lost his smile.
In typical fashion any investigation involving management is unfair, inadequate, and there is never a follow-up.
"Bullying makes the workplace an irrational and scary place to spend your working hours."
PhD's Gary and Ruth Namie are the solutions and they are loaded with ideas for all of us, especially the politicians who need to adapt legislation. This book is very informative and an easy 5 star read.
Thank you Ruth & Gary.
September 17, 2015
Uncannily spot-on and usable descriptions and recommendations. I've given this book to many people including a couple of colleagues, a couple of managers/executives, a couple of executive clients, a doctor, a psychologist, and an attorney. Everyone who works with others needs to read this book.
September 15, 2016
This is a needed, illustrative, and influential book. All business owners, managers, and employees should read. This includes the fast-food industry.
April 19, 2017
This is a book that could change and save lives. How's that for an endorsement?
As a former target of workplace bullying of the most vicious sort, the subject resonates deeply with me and draws me in with the hope of increasing my understanding of this baffling, counterproductive business practice.
What we get here is not only a comprehensive, well-researched study of what workplace bullying is, but also what it does, how it affects people and what should be done about it. Period.
I hope this book will find a wide audience among employers, the negligent bystanders who are most required to "be the change" in the workplace. Otherwise, the only people who read it will be those who have experienced the trauma of workplace bullying themselves or have lost friends, loved ones and family members to this tragic and avoidable plague. If this book helps get people to talk about this "silent epidemic", it may become the most important workplace manual ever written.
As a former target of workplace bullying of the most vicious sort, the subject resonates deeply with me and draws me in with the hope of increasing my understanding of this baffling, counterproductive business practice.
What we get here is not only a comprehensive, well-researched study of what workplace bullying is, but also what it does, how it affects people and what should be done about it. Period.
I hope this book will find a wide audience among employers, the negligent bystanders who are most required to "be the change" in the workplace. Otherwise, the only people who read it will be those who have experienced the trauma of workplace bullying themselves or have lost friends, loved ones and family members to this tragic and avoidable plague. If this book helps get people to talk about this "silent epidemic", it may become the most important workplace manual ever written.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews