Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal

Workplace Bullying: How to Address America's Silent Epidemic

By
Gary Namie and Ruth Namie

Abstract

The authors first explain the origins of the U.S. movement based on their first-hand experiences. Empirical research methodologies and recent findings from the Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute are described. The article subtitle refers to bullying as a "silent epidemic." The primary reason for bullying's designation as an undiscussable phenomenon is its legality. Further, its non-physical nature mitigates employer responsiveness. However, employer attention is warranted because of bullying's deleterious impact on employee productivity and turnover rates. The authors, as consultants, propose their field-tested multi-part solution for employers to correct and prevent bullying. Genuine employer engagement in the campaign to eradicate workplace bullying will be compelled by state laws that extend protections against harassment to all workers regardless of membership in historically protected groups. Finally, the authors consider societal barriers to U.S. legislation, including the propensity to aggress, to blame victims, to fail to hold aggressors accountable, and government's lax regulation of industry.