Growing push to halt workplace bullying

[Judi Lynn]

Growing push to halt workplace bullying
Sunday, March 3, 2013
BY SAM HANANEL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Record

* More states are considering legislation to let employees sue for on-the-job harassment.

WASHINGTON — Margaret Fiester is no shrinking violet, but she says working for her former boss was a nightmare.

"One day I didn't do something right and she actually laid her hands on me and got up in my face and started yelling, 'Why did you do that?' " said Fiester, who worked as a legal assistant for an attorney.

Fiester doesn't have to worry about those tirades anymore, but she hears lots of similar stories in her current role as operations manager at the Society for Human Resource Management, where she often fields questions about the growing issue of workplace bullying.

On-the-job bullying can take many forms, from a supervisor's verbal abuse and threats to cruel comments or relentless teasing by a co-worker. And it could become the next major battleground in employment law as a growing number of states consider legislation that would let workers sue for harassment that causes physical or emotional harm.

More:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/194594001_Growing_push_to_halt_workplace_bullying.html

[DonCoquixote]

1. when people ask why bullying is so bad in school

they can say that bullying works in the office. Most offices are just high school with more money, and smoking areas instead of bathrooms.

[Sherman A1]

2. Exactly

the workplace often resembles grade school if far too many ways.

[raccoon]

3. Workplace bullying needs more attention. Having been a target of a workplace bully,

I was told by a lawyer that if I couldn't get the bully on race discrimination or sexual harassment, I was
basically S.O.L.

I think it's especially bad when the workplace bully is a county, state, or federal worker. Of course, it's bad no matter
if the bully is a gov't employee or not, but why should a person who's paid by taxpayers be allowed to get away with such crap?

[Mopar151]

4. This is great - but the problem is HUGE

I have run afoul of several of these - the remarkable ones can really do some damage.