The Bully at Work Quotes

“Page 111: Workplace bullying directly affects one in six U.S. workers. It poses an occupational health hazard. Yet few targeted individuals complain. That is because existing laws either require harassment to be discriminatory or the standard of outrageous conduct is rarely met in the courts. Gender, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation define protected status groups. In order for mistreatment to be discriminatory and illegal, the Target must have “protected status” and the bully cannot be a member. But when the bully also is a member, as in woman-on-woman bullying (over 40 percent of all bullying reported in the Institute survey), the Target cannot file a lawsuit to force the employer to believe her or to punish the perpetrator. Research by the Institute and others shows that two-thirds of all harassment is “status-blind” and therefore legal.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“In the societies of the highly industrialized western world, the workplace is the only remaining battlefield where people can “kill” each other without running the risk of being taken to court. —Heinz Leymann, MD”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“Nearly any therapeutic philosophy works to reduce work-induced anxiety, stress, and trauma except psychoanalytic or psychodynamic (Freudian) approaches.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“Despite all this bad news, there is real-world evidence that groups do confront bullies as a group—and it works! A shining example is the “Code Pink” technique used by surgical nurses. These highly skilled professionals are often berated and belittled by pompous surgeons, both men and women. In some hospitals, whenever a bullying surgeon steps over the line into mistreatment, “Code Pink” is called by the targeted nurse. Immediately, supportive nurses form a circle around the physician. Together, they declare their unwillingness to assist that person with current and future patients, if an apology is not given with a promise to behave in a civil manner. The interdependent nature of surgery makes the surgeon powerless without the help of the team in the operating room. All work stops and the physician is accountable for her or his bullying. It is the physician who is responsible for the patient’s life. “Code Pink” is the group displaying its power to the bully, demanding cooperation instead of controlling games.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“As mentioned earlier, when Targets call for help, there is a good chance that much time has passed. Targets often wait too long to seek help, thinking the problems are their fault.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“What makes someone a Target is when the bully is testing her or his humiliating tactics on several people at work, the Target who does not fight back or confront the bully immediately. That yielding opens the door to future mistreatment because the Target failed the test of being a jerk just like the bully. In fact, the Target turns her or his cheek, a morally superior act according to several religions. The Target may also delay action, hoping that with the passage of time, the bully will stop. Unfortunately, the bully interprets all inaction as submission.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

“Targets, as you will learn throughout this book, are blessed/cursed with a strong work ethic. They just want to be “left alone” to do their work. In the most bullying-prone industries, we’ve found that many employees share a prosocial orientation. They are the “do-gooders.” They want to heal the sick, teach and develop the young, care for the elderly, work with the addicted and abused in society. They are ripe for exploitation. While they focus on doing good and noble things and wait to be rewarded for their quality work, they expose their backs for the bully to sink her or his claws into.”
― Gary Namie, The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job