The Toxic Workplace

Every day workers are bullied, harassed and suffer from verbal and physical assaults. Just one Bully in an organization can do significant harm to the company’s bottom line and have far-reaching implications for staff acquisition and retention. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of bullies are managers. How does one determine if there is a Bully in an organization and, if there is a Bully, what can be done about it? Workplace bullying is four times more prevalent than other workplace transgressions than sexual harassment and racial discrimination.

Bullying is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly recognized in many organizations as a serious management problem. It is only recently that this area has been acknowledged and companies are seeking out solutions to the problem. Many HR professionals are finding that they must deal with the issue of toxic work groups that are the result of a workplace Bully. The fall-out is often significant damage to the Target and other staff members, in the form of lowered morale, shame, fear, humiliation, loss of dignity and subsequently, reduction in productivity. Targets often leave the organization.

In this presentation, Heather Gray walks the audience through the dynamics of a workplace bullying situation, identifies the typical traits of both Bully and Target and explains how, if left unchecked, one Bully can cause significant damage to an organization, both in terms of image and employee retention. Learn how to identify a bullying situation and discover strategies to effectively deal with the Bully.