At WalletPop, Anne Gelhaus asks the question "Are there bullies in your Office Space?" as she compares a recent Forbes article on bullying in the workplace to the movie Office Space.

According to a 2007 Zogby International survey, an estimated 37% of U.S. workers, or about 54 million people, have been bullied at the office or repeatedly mistreated in a health-harming way, and about 45% of those targeted by bullies suffer stress-related health problems. This can lead to increased absenteeism and employee turnover, affecting a company’s bottom line. Recruiting can also be difficult if stories begin circulating about bullying within an organization.

Notice, the trend is becoming more problematic and it not only affects the peace of mind of the folks who are victims of workplace bullying but it also affects the company’s bottom line.  Big time.

One difficulty for folks who feel victimized at the workplace is finding ways to explain their situation to superiors or decision-makers in a way that is non-emotional and rational.  The study How to Bust the Office Bully:  Eight Tactics for Explaining Workplace Abuse to Decision Makers from Arizona State University’s Project for Wellness and Work-Life suggested a number of strategies to do so with more effectiveness:

Nearly one-fourth of American employees will experience office bullying at some point in their work history.  Unfortunately, a story of abuse that is not deemed credible is unlikely to motivate those in power to step in and stop the bullying. This not only damages the target of abuse, it also is costly for witnessing coworkers and the organization as a whole. In response to this dilemma, this article provides eight tactics to help bullying targets best tell their stories so that other people listen, find them credible, and bring about change.

Of course, one should also work on stress reduction.  In the film, the abuse was funny and the main character went to a hypnotist – who in great movie cliche fashion dies in session leaving the poor guy stuck in hypnosis but at least in a very empowering way so that all turns out great in the end.  Well, you can’t get stuck in hypnosis and it actually can be wonderful for helping to deal with job-related stress, either the aftermath of bullying or other stressors from work.  Folks can also work on their motivation and performance skills with assistance via hypnosis.

Of course, if bullying and its effects can’t be resolved . . . then, folks may need to keep in mind that according to new research by University of Manitoba’s M. Sandy Hershcovis and Julian Barling, of Queen’s University in Ontario, workplace bullying is hurting employees more than sexual harassment–causing more job stress, less job commitment and higher levels of anxiety.  So . . .

But if you feel like your company supports this kind of negative behavior, your best option just might be to quit. "It’s not worth it," Hershcovis says, "to put your health at risk."

Think about it.

All the best,
Brian

Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [phillips@nccu.edu.tw]Certified Hypnotherapist
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
http://www.BrianDavidPhillips.com