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Busting Bullies

Where is the line at work with bullying and violence?

If you're like most Americans, you don’t know and neither do the people in charge.

Most workplaces don't have a bullying and violence prevention policy.  You are on your own.  Instinct is your best guide.

"If you have a sense of dread … follow your instincts" and recognize chronic tension among workers for what it is – the seedbed of  workplace aggression that can grow into violence, Richard Denenberg said at an ILR School workshop he presented Monday with Tia Denenberg, on campus as ILR’s 2008 Neutral-in-Residence.

The annual week-long Neutral-in-Residence Program brings conflict resolution practitioners to Cornell to share expertise with students and faculty inside and outside the classroom.  Information about meeting with Denenberg is available through Theresa Woodhouse, thw3@cornell.edu, of the ILR School Office of the Dean.

The Denenbergs are considered pioneering scholars and practitioners of workplace violence prevention.  Richard Denenberg, a journalist, is the author of "The Violence-Prone Workplace."  Tia Denenberg is an arbitrator and mediator. The Denenbergs, who are married, are co-directors of Workplace Solutions in the Hudson Valley.  Tia is a 1967 ILR graduate and Richard is a 1964 Arts and Sciences graduate.

Violence risks in the workplace rise, they said, when:

  • Warning signs are ignored
  • Conflicts are not resolved early
  • Victimization goes unacknowledged

Many workplace tragedies – murders to ruined careers – can be traced, the Denenbergs said, to incidents managers trivialize as "personality conflicts."  Although workers often think "gee, it's not my place" to intervene in workplace disputes, "it's almost like a civic responsibility" to do so or find someone who will, said Richard Denenberg, calling that "bystander empowerment."

The workplace chaos touched off by even seemingly subtle aggression often plays out in particular ways, they said.

In addition to physical violence, the Denenbergs said, there are many forms of psychological workplace aggression, bullying included.  Emotional abuse of an employee can include intimidation, isolation, humiliation, rumor and sabotage.

Consider the bully who says, every time its target enters a meeting, "Something smells bad.  We better open the window."

Consider the silent bully.

He diverts meeting memos.  Unplugs a computer. Spreads rumors. 

The bully sabotages the victim by painting him as inefficient, incompetent, a poor performer.

If a victim is fired, he has little recourse.

A case has been built against him, brick by brick.

And, even the thought of confronting bullying can be fraught with fear, shame and embarrassment for the victim, who might also be confused about what constitutes "reportable" bullying.

Identifying bullying and nipping incidents in the bud can be part of an overall violence prevention strategy at work, the Denenbergs said.

After skits portraying workplace conflicts, audience members were asked to dissect the dynamics.

What if a potentially violent threat is compounded by stress at home?

What tips a typically peaceful person to violence?

How do you change a culture that spawns bullying and violence?

Diverse assessments followed, including one unchallenged.

Workplace bullying, said one man, is the "perfect storm."

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