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This Speakout has not been edited.

By Dr. Penelope Hyland

A great number of Americans go to work daily and face a bully in the workplace. Libraries, school systems, the health industry, sales, non-profits - all walks of life are effected. Workplace bullying is defined as repeated, health harming mistreatment in the form of verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, humiliation and work sabotage that undermines legitimate business and services.

A bullies’ behavior is both abusive and discriminatory. The long term effects of bullying cause harm to the target physically, mentally, and emotionally. In addition, workplace bullying is costly to the business, the community, and the state. Cost prohibitive areas include, but are not limited to: workman’s compensation, lawsuits, rehiring and training costs, welfare, unemployment, disability, health care, court settlements, sick leave, and lowered business production and services.

A workplace bully typically targets competent employees and threatens them with repercussions if they report the bullies’ behavior, even to the point of violating First Amendment Constitutional rights. Like abusers in domestic violence, bullies also exhibit a Dr. Jeykl and Mr. Hyde behavior that is frustrating to the targets. They are polite, charming, and agreeable around others and only demonstrate their bullying behavior when they are alone with the target. They will undermine the employees’ productivity, set up situations designed for failure, and make sure that the targeted employee can not succeed at their tasks. Bullies harass, lie, humiliate, and do everything in their power to create a fear filled work environment. Once other employees are aware of the bully’s tactics they will often gang up on the targeted employee in an effort to save their own job. Typically, a business or organization that has a bully within their organization also has other problems such as mismanagement, theft and corruption.

Across the state of Colorado, targets of workplace bullying have lost their jobs, been forced out of employment, been forced into the welfare system, have suffered from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many other health related illnesses. Around the country, workers have lost their way of life while others have committed suicide.

Single parents are hit especially hard when they lose their only source of income and have dependent children. The loss of finances can then become coupled with the loss of a home which combined with emotional damage and physical illness can be devastating to entire families.

While legislation cannot correct the entire problem, it will go a long way to holding bullies accountable for their behavior and eliminating from the workplace those whose behavior is counterproductive to the entire workforce.

Dr. Penelope Hyland is a resident of Pueblo.

READER COMMENTS

Correct…. “While legislation cannot correct the entire problem, it will go a long way to holding bullies accountable for their behavior and eliminating from…”. It can also go a long way to make even more bullies and exasperating the problem.

Let’s be honest….how many of the problems in the work place are our fault instead of the fault of someone else. How many people can see the employer’s side of the equation when they are fired and say, “You know, I should have been fired long, ago!” I’m betting few. If legislation works to correct even a small part of the problem, there will be a great increase in victims, as they have been given a legislated option to taking responsibility, a bully. Logic would indicate that an increase in victims would correlate to an increase in bullies…thus you have not decreased the number of bullies, but actually increased them.

Bulies can be wily and often ingratiate themselves with management. I fought back and was fired but I did find another job. A popular slogan during the Spanish Civil War was "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees!" I couldn't agree more.

Bullies canbe very wily and often ingratiate themselves with management. I fought back and was fired bit I did find another job. I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees.

It's a difficult situation; bullies are often wily and they ingratiate themselves with management.

To draftdodgingisntafamilyvalue, thankyou for serving our country but you now sound like you are the work place bully if you do not get your way. sorry but you ought to take another look in the mirror at what you have become ( the bully) . when one is not qualified for a job then one should look for another job. as in any company they will hire the most qualified for the posistion. so to you I say get over it and quit comdemning every company that turns you down. that attitude will get you no where....understand???

this is in response to the excel blog.....1st off if they didnt hire you it was because you are not qualified. not because you are black!!! 2nd off they are not responsible for the 5 deaths. they called in an expert team because they new how dangerous it could be. now this contracted team said they were experts at this stuff, but they must not have been...nor would they listen to what excel had to say about the safety of the matter, infact excel gave them these huge fans to cool and vent the chemicals to prevent any problems... but this team (the expert team)said they didnt need them...so who is responsible here for the deaths??? certainly not excel!!! I think you are just bitter that you were not hired so you now want to condemn excel when you really know nothing about the situation.

Naw, no one sane reads Draft/40acres rants anymore. I have not read his here, but let me guess...

He is ranting about politicians that have nothing to do with the OP...

He is ranting about how blacks are cut out of the process...

He is ranting about how he does not get enough government cheese...

He is ranting about Mitt Romney and the LDS church...

He is ranting about Bush.

Nothing in the rant makes any sense, yet here he is...

Am I close?

Neutralizing a bully is easy. A random car key scratch. A knife in the tire. A broken window. How about glue on their chair? My personal favorite is farting in their workspace or a sneak attack while they're on the telephone. C'mon gang, some things call for dirty tricks. Eventually, if the office retaliates together, it is the jerk that leaves.

Does anybody really read what draftdodging writes? spew!

Pussified whiners, weaklings, professional victims, complainers, bitchers, moaners, you owe me'rs, where's miners, wellfare junkies, blamers, sissies--you can't give this needy crowd enough because there simply isn't that much that they require to give them, its never enough!

Until then, you owe them!

Flush these parasite, blood sucking, vampire moonbats!

Xcel Energy's employees have recently discovered the following workplace "bullies": Xcel CEO Richard Kelly/Taylor/Bush (draft dodgers), and USDOL-OFCCP-OSHA-MSHA Secy. Chao. These thugs have allwed Xcel to depart from OSHA/MSHA occupational safety rules, resulting in the recent deaths of 5 saints. Xcel gives huge financial donations to the GOP. Their "kickback" for these financial desserts is OSHA/MSHA doesn't conduct safety audits and compliances, on Xcel's properties. Safety and its complaince is very expensive. The public should screaming for the scalps of Xcel's board of directors. These thugs "rubber stamp" Kelly's operational policies.

I tried to do my part to stop this type of catastrophe. Xcel recently interviewed me for their technical training manager's job. I flunked their "color" test. I didn't know that Xcel, Kelly, and their board of directors, had a policy in place where black disabled Vietnam veterans were excluded from Xcel's 6-figure salary jobs. I would have properly trained these subcontracted vendors in power plant safety. The public should also demand that US Sen. Salazar cut his GOP ties, and institute a SPECIAL PROSECUTOR to investigate the Xcel incident. I have volunteered for a fee of $2.5K per day. Only hire me, if you want folks jailed for their criminal negligence, resulting in deaths. Call Shamnesty Salazar (draftdodger).
James J. Tenant
Lt. Commander, LDO, USN, Retired
Served for 23 years as a steam propulsion engineering officer (CHIEF ENGINEER) in 3 nuclear powered submarines, 4 surface combat ships-1,200/600 p.s.i. boilers-steam/gas turbine and diesel driven prime movers in electrical power generatrion), and 3 deployments to Vietnam. Earned the following college degrees: MSM (Project Management); MABA; BBA (Personnel Management); and AAS. Worked in the following capital-intensive industries: railroad; telecom; oil and gas; highway construction; electrical power generation; aviation facilities maintenance management); surface and underground mining (coal, gold, copper, silver, and phosphate).

Bullies are where you find them, and they can be found everywhere. America has also become a pussified society where only a few are willing to fight back. The workplace has become a "no defense and roll-over" zone where passivity only encourages the bullies. Fight back (sue the SOB) or be prepared to shovel shit in Petaluma for the rest of your life.

If this shoe doesn't fit, then you can always quit and find another job.

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