Sunday, October 4, 2015

Dangers to Your Small Business Pt.2 - Workplace Bullies

#SmBiz #OfficeBullying
Is Your Workplace Safe from Bullies?

You spend a lot of time and effort getting and keeping your  Business running. But there are things that can threaten to stop you in your tracks.

In this series, we will highlight 3 of them and share tips to help you identify and prevent them from becoming dangerous to your Business.  


In this installment, we take a look at Workplace Bullies!

First, it is important to recognize that Bullying does occur in the Workplace.  And when it happens, it can have serious implications on both the victim and your company.

Victims of bullying are often plagued by health problems. They may experience elevated stress levels, changes in sleep patterns, and may even find themselves prone to panic attacks.

Even more seriously, they are more susceptible to stress-related illnesses like high blood pressure and ulcers.

How Bullying Endangers Individuals:
  • Mental Problems ~ Loss of Self-esteem, motivation, and focus.
  • Physical Problems ~ Frequent Illnesses, Problems Sleeping, Stress
  • Personal Problems ~ Family Stress, Financial Problems
Being bullied can also effect a person's work performance. Many victims suffer from decreased self-esteem, resulting in them having difficulty making decisions. Their confidence is low. They may also experience a loss of motivation. Their work suffers because they can no longer concentrate. 

Frequent absences are not uncommon. Victims would rather not come to work at all instead of spending their day worrying what their bully will do next or doing everything they can to stay out of the bully’s path.

Many times victims also feel a sense of isolation. They believe they are in this situation alone and that they have no where to turn. This is especially true of adults who feel that they are showing weakness if they are unable to handle the situation on their own.

All of this makes them a much less productive employee.  

#SmBiz #BullyingintheWorkplace
Many of us understand the effect that bullying can have on an individual ~ even if that person is an adult. But when it occurs in the workplace, it not only impacts the victim, but it can cause problems for all your employees.

Office Bullying creates a stressful and mistrusting work environment.  

Not only will the victim feel that no one is in their corner, but your entire workforce can believe that you don’t care about their welfare.

The result ~ you may lose valuable workers and have to spend time and money to replace them.
Workplace Bullying can Seriously Impact Your Small Business!  “Tweet This

Bullying can have an impact on your business as a whole. The loss of productivity, increased absences, and work environment tension can all cost your company.  

You may not realize that the impact of bullying extends beyond the bully and the victim. It can impact your customers and clients, your other employees, and even their families.   

How Bullying Endangers Your Company:
  • Your Finances ~ Lost Productivity, Replacing Employees Who Leave, Cost of Investigating Incidents of Bullying and Possible Legal Action, Worker’s Compensation and Health Insurance Claims
  • Your Work Environment ~ Loss of Morale, Creating a Hostile Atmosphere, Poor Company Image 
  • Your Productivity ~ Increased Absenteeism,  Workers’ Loss of Focus, Goals and Projections not being met.
Turning a blind eye to Office Bullying is never the answer. Instead you need to be proactive. Putting sound practices in place to identify and deal with it makes sense. It will help you protect your employees and your bottom line! 
Workplace Bullying will Hurt Your Small Business!

What You Need to Do:
  • Be Proactive and Screen Before You Hire! ~ Our Motto, “Trust but Verify”
  • Make Your Office a Zero Tolerance, Bully Free Zone 
  • Draft and Implement a Strong Policy for Dealing with Complaints
  • Hold Meetings to Familiarize Employees with Your Policy and Create Awareness
  • Encourage the Reporting of any Bullying
  • Establish a Safe Contact for Reporting Incidents of Bullying
  • Investigate all Complaints Promptly and Thoroughly
  • Enact Any Changes Necessary to STOP the Bullying
To find out more about Workplace Bullying and What You and Your Company can do, read “Adults Do it To ~ The Problem of Workplace Bullying”.

Being aware of potential Dangers to Your Business is half the battle. Once you are able to recognize the signs, then you can do what is necessary to protect you and your company as much as possible.

Discover more about the Dangers to Your Business in Part 1 of this series, “Employees Who Steal” and in Part 3, "Violence and Drugs in the Workplace"!

Remember....Being Forewarned is Forearmed!

Please Pay it Forward and Share! Leave a comment too ~ we would love to hear what you think!

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