Bullying in the NFL Workplace

November 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Even Football Players Hurt When Bullied

It may seem rather silly that a participant in a sport that is so brutal that it causes its players to suffer brain damage would throw in the towel because of taunts and insults by teammates.

But the actions of 6’5″, 315-pound Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin, 25,  are a testament to the damage that workplace bullying can inflict upon targets.

Martin walked off the job recently because he could no longer the endure “abusive environment” that he allegedly has suffered during his one-and-a-half seasons with Miami.  The last straw reportedly came on Monday when he sat down to eat lunch with several other players and they stood up and left when he tried to join them

Dolphins guard Richie Incognito, who is allegedly one of the players who has harassed Martin, was suspended this week for conduct detrimental to his team.  He allegedly sent Martin racist and threatening texts and voicemails.

Research shows that workplace bullying can fell even the mightiest in our society.

Workplace abuse  causes targets to suffer potentially severe mental and  physical illness, including mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomach, panic attacks, headaches etc.  Evidence is accumulating to suggest that stress plays an important role in chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological disorders. Bullying targets frequently report experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome for years after they leave a job in which they were bullied..

There are many well-publicized cases of suicide that are related to workplace bullying, including the recent suicide of the Chief Financial Officer Pierre Wauthier, 53, of the multi-national insurance company, Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland. He left a note blaming his new boss, who a day after Wauthier’s suicide resigned.

Miami Dolphins Coach Joe Philbin said the NFL is going to conduct a comprehensive and objective review of the workplace environment  and the Dolphins will fully cooperate as an organization.

Individuals who are  experiencing workplace bullying are encouraged to read my book, Transcend Your Boss: Zen and the Difficult Workplace, to gain some coping strategies.  They are also encouraged to sign a petition demanding that the Obama administration address the problem of workplace bullying in our society.

Filed Under: CULTURE, DISPATCHES, WORKPLACE BULLYING Tagged With: , , , , ,

Another Defeat for Healthy Workplace Bill

July 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

TIME FOR A NEW APPROACH

The decade-long strategy of adopting state-by-state legislation to deal with workplace bullying in the United States has suffered yet another defeat.

The Maine House of Representatives recently voted 87-56 to sustain Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill aimed at bullying in the workplace that had been adopted by Maine’s legislature.

 The bill, which was supported by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), directed the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board to study psychological and physical harm employees suffer due to abusive work environments. 

 In his veto message, the governor said the study was unnecessary because the Workers’ Compensation Board already provides benefits to employees who suffer physical and psychological injuries on the job.

 Maine was the 24th state to consider some version of the WBI’s proposed  Healthy Workplace Bill  but no state has yet to adopt it.

 This blog advocates a federal and national solution to the problem of workplace bullying, which affects one in every three or four workers in the United States. So far about 8,000 targets of workplace bullying have signed a petition demanding action from the Obama Administration.

 Ruth and Gary Namie, founders of the WBI, have led  a decade-long campaign to pass proposed legislation called The Healthy Workplace Bill.

 Drafted by Suffolk University Law Professor David Yamada, the bill was overhauled earlier this year after criticism by workplace anti-bully advocates that it offered far less protection to targets of workplace bullying than similar legislation in other countries.  

The Namies, who aggressively market consulting services and book sales on the WBI web site,  and Mr. Yamada, who formed an organization called The New Workplace Institute, have not cooperated with other workplace anti-bully advocates who formed a coalition last year (Protect US Workers) to  support a federal solution to workplace bullying.

America lags far behind Europe, Canada, Australia and many other industrialized countries in protecting workers from bullying, which is widely considered to be a health-harming form of workplace violence..

 

Filed Under: DISPATCHES, STATE, WORKPLACE BULLYING Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Michigan Bill Links Bullying & Crime

May 28, 2013 by 2 Comments

singsingA lawmaker has introduced a proposed bill in Michigan that would make bullying and cyberbullying a misdemeanor criminal offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a jail term of up to 93 days.

Republican State Rep.  Dale W. Zorn’s bill also would permit a judge to require an individual who is convicted of or found responsible for violating the anti-bullying law to “undergo an evaluation by a mental health professional at his or her own expense and to receive counseling or other treatment at his or her own expense if determined appropriate by the court.”

 Rep. Zorn’s proposal is one of  the first if not the first proposed bill in the United States to link bullying with crime and mental health. Other proposed legislation in the U.S. is civil  (non-criminal) in nature and seeks monetary damages and/or injunctive relief.

Zorn’s proposed bill addresses both school and workplace bullying. 

 There is precedent elsewhere for treating workplace bullying as a crime. Lawmakers in Victoria, Australia adopted an anti-bullying law known as “Brodie’s Law “that took effect in June 2011 and makes stalking related to bullying a crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail. 

Brodie’s Law was passed after the suicide of Brodie Panlock, 19, a waitress who was subjected to relentless bullying in the workplace. Four co-workers were fined a total of $355,000 (Australian) in 2010 but Ms. Panlock’s parents felt the fine was a slap on the wrist and lobbied for criminal sanctions.

Zorn says Michigan House bill No. 4746 is intended to encourage the rehabilitation of bullies by offering an option for mental health counseling at the judge’s discretion and the bully’s expense. The criminal  charge could be expunged or wiped from the defendant’s criminal record upon successful completion of treatment.

 “The  behavior of bullying has become a societal problem that may need to be eradicated through professional counseling,” he said.

The bill likely would face challenges with respect to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, even though it specifically exempts speech that is protected by federal and state law.

 The bill defines “bully” to mean engaging in one or more of the following behaviors on two or more separate occasions with the intent to frighten, intimidate or harass another person:

     (i) Assaulting or battering that other person.

     (ii) Referring to that other person while in his or her presence with a derogatory or offensive nickname or label.

     (iii) Disseminating false or misleading information about that other person.

It is not clear why the bill prohibits derogatory  or offensive speech in the presence of the individual, but not in the individual’s absence.

In a press release, Zorn said he arrived a the definition of bullying after meeting with school administrators, students, parents, prosecutors and judges.

The bill was immediately referred to the Michigan House Judiciary Committee. 

Filed Under: DISPATCHES, WORKPLACE BULLYING Tagged With: , Brodie Panlock, Brodie's Law, criminal sanctions, , Cyber-Bullying, Cyberbullying, , mental health, mental health counseling, michigan house bill, Michigan House Bill No. 4746, Michigan House Judiciary Committee, Michigan Legislature, State Rep. Dale W. Zorn

Elements of a Good Workplace

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

GallupMany of us have experienced the horrors of a  bad workplace but what does a good workplace look like?

Jim Clifton, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Gallup poll organization, says he knows, based upon decades of polling data.

  What follows, according to Clifton, are the 12 most important, and most predictive, workplace elements.  If these elements are in place, the employer has an engaged, healthy workforce where employees innovate, work hard  and achieve results.  If these elements are not in place, it is likely that workers are disengaged, less healthy, less productive, and less invested in the success of the company.

What’s your workplace look like? Feel free to show this article to your boss.

  1.  I know what’s expected of me at work.
  2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
  3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
  4. In the last seven days, I received recognition or praise for doing good work.
  5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
  6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
  7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
  8. The mission and purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
  9. My associates are committed to doing quality work.
  10. I have a best friend at work.
  11. In the last six months, someone at work talked to me about my progress.
  12. In the last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

 According to Clifton, a major reason that workforces are not engaged is bad management or what he calls “management from hell.”

 Gallup research has found that the top 25% of employees — the best-managed — versus the bottom 25% in any workplace — the worst-managed — have nearly 50% fewer accidents and have 41% fewer quality defects. What’s more, he says, people in the top 25% versus the bottom 25% incur far less in healthcare costs.

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