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Summer 2005, Vol. 1, No. 3 | Back to Index
Message from the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator
Defining Bullying in the Workplace
Following a recent training workshop on “Ensuring a Respectful Workplace Free from Harassment,” I was asked to define the difference between harassment and bullying. Since the distinction was not that clear in my mind, I searched on-line for a more thorough answer and was surprised by the information I found.
First, most “bullying” sites on the Internet are geared toward children, featuring cool cartoon characters and bright primary colors. I guess people assume that bullying is a trait you eventually outgrow; an assumption that people are discovering is not true. At the U.S. government’s site on bullying (www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov), it says “Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself.” It goes on to say that bullying usually happens over and over, and that it can take many forms such as punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically; spreading bad rumors about people; keeping certain people out of a “group”; teasing people in a mean way; and getting certain people to “gang up” on others. Most young people have a very good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day. If you are the parent of school-aged children, you might want to check out the government’s website.
Second, and much in the news, are a number of new sites that talk about workplace bullying. According to Dr. Gary Namie, president of the Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute in Bellingham, WA (www.bullyinginstitute.org), the essence of workplace bullying is “to twist political and social power to inflict psychological abuse on a carefully chosen target.” However, unlike sexual harassment or racial discrimination, there is no law against this type of behavior. That is why House Bill 1968 is in the making.
House Bill 1968 defines workplace bullying as “conduct that: (a) a reasonable person would find hostile or offensive and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests; and (b) causes physical or psychological harm to the employee.” It further states that workplace bullying includes, but is not limited to, repeated infliction of verbal abuse such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets; verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; and the unreasonable sabotage or undermining of an employee’s work performance. So far this legislation has been introduced in only four states (California, Oregon, Hawaii, Okalahoma), and it has not yet been enacted.
Some signs that you may be bullied at work include apprehension about going to work and agitation and anxiety while you’re there; surprise, agenda-less meetings where you are being humiliated; never being left alone to do your job; and false accusations of incompetence. If you are concerned about being bullied at work, please feel free to come and discuss it with me (x7378, eeo@mbl.edu).
The New Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at
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