Workplace Bullying: What Should You Do To Stop It?

Do you work with a workplace bully? There is no current federal or state law in the United States expressly prohibiting workplace bullying. This soon may change as 25 states have introduced legislation that would make workplace bullying illegal, 11 of which remain active.

Even without workplace anti-bullying legislation, there are good reasons for employers to address bullying concerns in the workplace. First, left unchecked, employees may assert claims related to bullying by attempting to squeeze these claims into violations under existing laws. Second, if prevalent, bullying conduct clearly impacts productivity in the workplace.

Growing concern about workplace bullying has led to efforts to curb such behavior on several fronts. State legislators have been actively introducing anti-bullying legislation across the country. Concurrently, many employers have addressed and discouraged anti-bullying conduct through the implementation of internal procedures and policies promoting mutual respect in the workplace and implementing training focused on discouraging abuse in the workplace.