Every year in America, employees who work in stressful workplaces end up costing businesses over 300 billion dollars between the costs of absenteeism, health plans, and productivity. A quick search on Wikipedia yields this stat:"Nearly half of all American workers (49%) report that they have been affected by workplace bullying, either being a target themselves or having witnessed abusive behavior against a co-worker." So, is the workforce made up of a bunch of whiners who need to just "deal with it," or is there something more to these numbers?
Research indicates that we are standing on the precipice of a silent epidemic in America, made up of bully bosses, toxic environments, and communication breakdowns on multiple levels. These working conditions not only cost us productivity, market placement, and bottom line NOI, but they also take a psychological, emotional and physical toll on every employee who is exposed to them. The good news is that there is no need to feel powerless or voiceless when it comes to these issues- there IS something you can do to stop these behaviors and actions in your company!
In this session, we will discuss why bullying happens and how toxic work environments are created, how to identify bullying and stressful behaviors in yourself and others, behavior plans to weed out attitudes that need to go, as well as why it does matter if something hurts your feelings. We will also talk about the legal responsibilities that many employers have when it comes to toxic work environments, techniques to diffuse a bullying situation in your office, and ways to inspire the silence surrounding this problem to dissipate. You have the power to empower a positive workplace!
