Are you bullying your employees? Here’s what to know.
Nearly two-thirds of workplace bullies are bosses, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute. Here’s what companies should do to cut down on harassment problems.
Workplace bullying is a growing problem in the U.S. and much of it seems to come from the top.
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, as many as 48 million Americans, or roughly 30% of the workforce, have been bullied at work.
Workplace bullying — the repeated mistreatment of someone in the workplace by verbal, nonverbal, physical, or psychological means — can take place among colleagues, but frequently occurs between bosses and their subordinates. The Workplace Bullying Institute also found that 65% of workplace bullies are bosses.
Eliza Orleans, a senior manager at CFAR, a Philadelphia-based firm that coaches and consults family-run businesses, said workplace bullying can come in many forms.
“Not all bullying is overt or dangerous,” she said. “More common are subtle, covert forms rooted in poor communication, misalignment, or lack of self-awareness. Even seemingly minor tensions can escalate into larger issues if not addressed.”
Workplace bullying can negatively impact business owners in a number of ways. Unchecked, it can contribute to mental health declines, cause greater absenteeism, hamper employee performance, and ultimately lead to resignations. It can even have legal consequences.
So what can business owners do to minimize this problem?
Start with a definition
Through regular communication, everyone in an organization should be familiar with what workplace bullying is.
Terry Jackson, a long time corporate consultant based in the Philadelphia area, said the definition of bullying should be customized to each workplace and supported with specific examples to avoid misinterpretation. She also recommends a regularly updated written policy with examples of unacceptable behavior and consequences for violations (e.g., coaching, warnings, termination).
Employers should also have a confidential, easily accessible system for reporting incidents, Jackson said.
“Companies should have a zero-tolerance stance to communicate seriousness,” she said. “No-tolerance policies send a strong signal. You don’t want a lot of nuance when it comes to bullying.”
Look at your company culture
If your company has a bullying problem, it’s important to know that your company culture could be the root — and the potential cure.
Orleans said bullying is rarely an isolated incident or just an individual problem. It’s often a symptom of a systemic issue.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” Orleans said. “If you’re not intentional about shaping culture, you’re letting dysfunction take root.”
Prevention must start at the top, with leaders who actively shape culture through clarity on values, expectations, and workplace norms. To Orleans, culture isn’t just HR’s responsibility, it’s everybody’s job.
“Companies must ask: What in the environment is allowing or rewarding this behavior?” she said.
Be empathetic and look in the mirror
Having four distinct generations — baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z — in today’s workplace can create challenges. More than half today’s business owners are over the age of 50.
Jackson said today’s leaders need to “have more than one leadership style in their trick bag” to be successful and must be aware that younger employees may be easily intimidated. A 2023 workplace harassment study found that the most common age demographic that experienced workplace harassment in 2023 was 18 to 34, followed by 35 to 44.
“Younger generations may interpret certain behaviors as harassment that older generations wouldn’t,” Jackson said. “Old-school leaders sometimes say, ‘If you don’t like it, leave,’ and some employees do because they don’t feel they have recourse.”
Have a clear process in place
Orleans also said it’s important to have a plan ready for when a bullying incident is noted or reported and to address the incident at multiple levels. Business owners must be empathetic and support the affected employee, while also demonstrating clear consequences for the bully.
Leaders should “consider restructuring teams or providing outside help like coaching or therapy,” she said. “In serious or repeated cases, be ready to evaluate whether the person should remain in the organization.”
“If bullying goes unaddressed, the message it sends to the rest of the staff is pretty damning,” Orleans added.
Orleans and Jackson agree that training can help set shared expectations and minimize misunderstandings. Small businesses in particular face unique challenges, they noted.
“Smaller firms often lack internal HR, but still need policies and training,” Jackson said. “It may be a good idea to use external consultants if needed and involving employees in shaping company culture and expectations.”