Stop bullying!

April 19 is “National Anti-Bullying Day.” On this day, extra attention is paid in the Netherlands to putting an end to bullying. People take a moment to reflect on bullying and its consequences for victims, bullies, followers, and bystanders alike. SERIS Netherlands also aims to encourage people on this day to take action themselves to stop bullying and to organize their own initiatives in their local communities. Anti-Bullying Day is primarily intended to raise awareness for one day a year.

“What do you mean? I don’t bully anyone,” is something we often hear. However, bullying takes many forms. For example:

•  Social isolation / exclusion: always ignoring the same person in conversations and not inviting them to lunch.
•  Mocking: making (offensive) jokes about someone's appearance, behavior, or personal circumstances.
•  Gossip: to focus solely on a person’s negative traits and/or call them stupid.
•  Refuse assistance: not helping a colleague when he needs help.
•  Incorporating personal items into behavior: moving something so it's hard to find, deliberately breaking things.
•  Threaten: threaten someone with reporting their mistakes to the manager.
•  Physical violence: pushing someone or locking them up. Some victims are literally beaten up.
•  SSexual harassment: making intimidating comments or touching someone inappropriately

Some situations go beyond what we normally consider bullying. That is why the term “psychosocial workload (PSA)” is often used; however, in connection with National Anti-Bullying Day on April 19, SERIS uses the term “bullying” in this article.

Bullying in the workplace among adults—it happens. You might not expect it, but over a quarter of people in the Netherlands have been bullied by coworkers at some point. That’s 7.8%, or over half a million employees. Of those, 1.2% are bullied on a regular basis—over 80,000 employees. Among employees, 40% have witnessed a coworker being bullied, and among managers, this figure rises to 50%. Yet effectively addressing bullying can yield significant benefits for a company.

Bullying in the workplace results in approximately four million additional sick days per year. Each instance of bullying costs an employer about 45,000 euros annually. In total, 1 in 6 employees experiences inappropriate behavior such as bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment at work. For more than 1 in 3 people in this group of employees, this leads to burnout symptoms. This often results in additional absenteeism, a poor work atmosphere, and reduced employee engagement. Workplace bullying is not a minor problem. It costs society two to four billion euros per year.

* Figures from the TNO Labor Monitor 2015

Sometimes workplace bullying stems from a desire for power, making someone feel unsafe and intimidating them in order to derive a sense of superiority, often fueled by feelings of inferiority.

Bullying behavior can also stem from a perpetrator who feels that their authority or position is threatened. This could refer to their job position or their social standing within the group.

Another reason is the fear of change; people feel threatened by the sense of security provided by their current job and their familiarity with established procedures. The perpetrator is afraid of new ideas and insights and would rather see the newcomer gone than keep them around.

And finally, there are the passive bullies—the bystanders who neither support the victim nor stop the bully. These are the colleagues who are unwilling or afraid to speak up and dare not openly support the victim for fear of becoming targets themselves. They are the ones who enable the bullying to continue.

The problem with bullying is that it’s hard to prove, and reporting it often leads to the victim being excluded and to less frequent but more vicious bullying—without actually solving the problem. And even when it is resolved, an uncomfortable, distant atmosphere often lingers. One of the most important roles falls to those who are neither perpetrators nor victims. They are the ones who must speak out openly against bullying. The longer bullying behavior goes unaddressed and the perpetrator is not confronted, the more damage is done within the group. This can lead to sick leave and colleagues resigning. Additionally, it tells the perpetrator that they can get away with it, so they continue, and others who see that they get away with it start exhibiting the same behavior.

Second, victims should also contact their employer. Under the Working Conditions Act, employers are required to ensure a safe work environment, and one of the issues that must be addressed is workplace bullying, which includes harassment.

“Great, I’ve reported it and my boss is going to handle it.” Yes, that’s possible, but keep in mind that you, as the victim, also have a role to play. As the saying goes, “If a dog senses you’re afraid, it’s more likely to bite.” By becoming more assertive yourself, with the support of your colleagues, and with the employer sitting down with the perpetrator and monitoring the situation, this problem can truly be resolved. We all need to invest in that. But the most important thing is: don’t leave the victim of bullying out in the cold!

For more information on bullying and how to address it, please contact the Stop Pesten Nu Foundation. The Stop Pesten Nu Foundation is the leading information, expertise, and knowledge center in the Netherlands, with an extensive knowledge base focused on addressing bullying and cyberbullying to foster a sustainable work, learning, and living environment.