Bullying in the Workplace

Joshua Davis

Professor A. Justice

English 111

10 Sept. 2015

Bullying in the Workplace

Bullying is a horrible act toward many, but seen by few. Everyone has been picked on at sometime during their life. For most people, it was when they were young and in school. A little picking is, usually, not the problem, it is what follows. What can start out as harmless fun can easily turn into bullying.

Bullying usually starts when a kid thinks picking on others is funny. As kids grow, many realize the problem and change, while some never change. In life, you will always know someone who did not change their ways. They are now adults acting the same way they did in elementary school. They are still bullying people, but their motives have changed. They are not doing it because they think it is funny anymore, they think they are better than everyone else.

In our generation, bullying is a problem many adults face on a daily basis. Many adults dread going to work because of bullying in the workplace. According to Gary Namie, the definition for workplace bullying is, “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse, offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating or intimidating and work interference” (What is Workplace Bullying?).

Bullying in the workplace, whether it be physical, sexual, or verbal, is a huge issue in this nation. Naime also stated, “It is a problem that has invaded the lives of 37% of adult Americans without invitation.” A recent survey that Naime has conducted states that, “49% of adult Americans have been bullied or witnessed it.” Adult bullying is most commonly seen at the workplace. Gary Naime found that coworkers are a problem, but bosses are the most notorious for bullying. He claims 72% of all bullying is done by their superiors. He also said, “When a perpetrator has the power to deprive his target of a livelihood, and the economic and health security the job represents, bullying is an abuse of authority. U.S. employers are loathe to stop bullying, let alone acknowledge its existence” (Why is it a Problem?).