In a couple of weeks I’ll be speaking at a conference attended by decision makers from organizations across Canada, and in the course of preparing, I’m revisiting bullying-related data, which may be useful to you.
Bullying is characterised by persistent, intense `negative acts’, where the targets feel unable to defend themselves. Bullying does not necessarily have to be intentional. Its effects on the victim and on bystanders are typically devastating, and extended sick leaves are often present. Here’s some of the specific symptoms and their prevalence, according to a study by the Workplace Bullying Institute:
Severe anxiety – 76%
Disrupted sleep – 71%
Loss of concentration – 71%
Post-traumatic stress disorder – 47%
Clinical depression – 39%
Panic attacks – 32%
Most of the symptoms were experienced for the first time only after the bullying began.
Needless to say, these symptoms have obvious implications for safety, customer service, innovation, teamwork and retention of talent. And if you add to this information the data that I included in my last blog pertaining to the abysmal state of organizational response to bullying, well, then, it can be quite depressing!
(PS for more interesting data on bullying, see http://php/wordpress/?p=126)
