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The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job

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The Bully at Work: What You Can Do To Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity On the job

If you want to learn about the phenomenon of workplace bullying which has become an epidemic in recent years, get this book right now. Bullying at work involves pre-mediated, repeated, malicious mistreatment of one employee by one or more employees. This mistreatment is a sort of psychological violence. Its purpose is to steal all that the target has and the bully envies. It prevents the target from getting his/her work done. The workplace bully abuses power, causes misery to his/her target and endeavors hard to steal the target's self-confidence, perceptions of self- competence and goodness. Gradually, bully involves others in this hateful campaign against the target. Bullies use many tactics such as blaming for errors, unreasonable work demands, insults and putdowns, exclusion, stealing credit, threatening job loss, criticism of ability, and discounting of accomplishments. The book discusses types of bullies. It also includes discussion on who bullies choose for targets. Targets are genuinely bright, creative, dedicated, and self-assured individuals. Since they pose a threat to the bully, the bully works hard to undermine them. As a result of bullying, the targets might experience fear, shame, humiliation, and loss of dignity and it can impact their physical health, mental health and productivity at work.
I recommend this book to every individual in American workforce. It is an eye opener. I also recommend that you visit Namie website, Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute [bullyinginstitute. Org]. I really am grateful to Gary Namie and Ruth Namie for witting such a masterpiece on the topic of workplace bullying. It can save lives and careers.

The Bully at Work (2009 edition) is a significant update of a pathbreaking book. Although written specifically for targets of bullying, it will be useful to managers, human resource officers, union leaders, lawyers, mental health providers, researchers, and educators in any field involving employment relations. This is the book I recommend to people when they contact me for guidance and assistance about bullying situations they are facing at work.

My recommendation of this book is concededly far from objective. I have worked with the Namies for over a decade to advance legal protections for targets of severe workplace bullying, and they are both friends and partners. Our working alliance has flourished in large part because I regard them as North America's foremost experts on the impact of workplace bullying and what individuals and organizations can do to respond to these destructive behaviors.

The Namies have done extensive research both quantitative and qualitative to come up with a book that explains what workplace bullying is, how to recognize what is happening if you are a target, how to recognize a bully if you are a witness to it, and how to cope with it safely. My friend committed suicide as a result of workplace bullying. This book, in an earlier edition, helped me understand what happened to her and why. The new version is even more thorough, as more research has been done. The similarities between bullying and domestic violence, harassment, and other forms of trauma are explained. You aren't alone, and if you are a target, this book will help you. I also recommend visiting the WBI website.

Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for the authors of this book. Put an end to self doubt and blame from others about the harrassment you are recieving at work and read this book. It is not just you! Read about what can and can't be done. This will help you fend for yourself against all of the bad advice you will get from others. They dont mean any harm, but they dont have all of the FACTS. There are a lot of common myths out there about laws and employment. Don't fall victim to this erroneous thinking. Read this book!

This book is on the right track. There are horrendous consequences to people who have been bullied. So far, very little has been accomplished. Many victims still suffer the effects of a toxic workplace.

Education is one necessary action and this book helps that effort.

So far, I have not heard businessmen react to the Namies' effort. I would imagine that businessmen would like to avoid negative actions like sabotage and worker violence, yet they have not responded positivey to the anti-bullying effort. It is time that they do.

Great book to help you deal with workplace bullies. Helps you cope and take the necessary measures to help yourself and others going through workplace bullying. I bought a bunch of copies to give out.

This book spends a lot of time telling the Target to leave the job you love. I have four more years to be fully vested, ie, get all my benefits to retire. After spending 26 years to receive that retirement, not wise to leave, yet, as I am so near that goal. So far I have told trusted friends as the book suggests. Good idea. I have also told the boss. Also, a good idea. Using some of the techniques has worked. It is the best book I have found.

I work for a high school that is really helping Targeted students. I hope they continue to help me, as a Targeted staff member. I am keeping track of other jobs within the district in order to move on and not affect my retirement.

Sher

There a couple of useful pages that discuss how to deal with a bully one-on-one, but most of it discusses how it is not your fault and tells you how to walk out of the bully workplace environment. I was hoping that it would give more guidance in how to disarm a bully and avoid becoming a Target at all. The first sentence of the Introduction is "A simple truth: to stop a bully from turning you into a Target, "just" coldly and unemotionally announce that the irrational, unwanted conduct you are experiencing is unacceptable." I wish that the book had elaborated on that very topic.

Wow! Outstanding book and great reference source for families and workers. I support the work you are doing at WBI and everything you are doing to get legislation passed. We truly need the Anti-Bullying and Healthy Workplace Bill in America in order to move employers more quickly. It will be the only way for posted policies to be faithfully enforced and noncompliant organizations awarded financial penalties. One thing I think should be included in the legislation is that it is not necessary for a target to be inflicted with emotional distress through absentees or worse before action is taken. Everyone handles "stress" differently and administrative documentation by itself should carry a lot of weight too.

I would describe the bully as a howitzer with too many powder bags and no fire direction controller. Yeah, like a loose cannon.

I agree with your comments that "not all bosses are bullies, but most bullies are bosses."

In my own work environment there is verbal abuse, name calling, sarcasm, threats to safety, bad behavior, abuse of authority, destruction of workplace relationships, and when any or in combination are professionally reported through the proper channels the issues are ignored by both management with verbiage like "kiss off" at the same time labor union reps are giggling at the feedback and simultaneously getting a lap dance. There are work rules and regulations posted "everywhere" and they sure do look pretty in a frame, and sound better when you read them aloud. They are useless and undervalue the work environment if no action is taken.

My experience is that the management would prefer to keep the bully and target(s) together even after the informal/formal complaint hoping that one of them will do something to eliminate themselves and then management won't have to do a thing but say "see how he or she is acting." Sort of like the hiring process where there are three positions and one job. The HR rep is counting on two of the candidates to do something to eliminate themselves and make the decision easier.

My experience with labor unions is that they are untrained to know what to do if the words are not written in a contractual agreement. They expect members to go file a complaint with the EEOC and get off of the union back. Solution: Labor leaders get out of the bed and start gathering data about the incidents in the workplace, lead our membership from the front of the pack, using our dollars, through political activism, and in solidarity with organizations like WBI to spearhead a "national campaign" against workplace bullying. If union bosses are not hiding in an office all day then they should be able to empathize with what is really going on in the trenches.

Big Bosses (Top Dogs) have got to pay attention to what is going on in their workplaces and stop giving little bosses the green light by verbally or nonverbally implying "use your discretion to get the numbers, just don't denigrate, discount, or deny anyone in the process by crossing the illegal boundaries. Remember, I prefer the blind side; if I find out about it, I'm going to have to do something about it."

I never saw a bully that actually had talent or technical expertise! In actuality, a bully prevents the "real work" from getting done because he or she is too busy bullying to pay attention to the bottom line or service commitment. This individual is the one that puts a significant financial strain on productivity costs, and effective business operations. A bully uses terms like "needs of service" to mask unintelligent ways to make excuses that deny a target privileges and rights.

Gary and Ruth Namie did a fantastic job researching and writing this book. You describe workplace bullies to the max. Thank you for leading the charge to eradicate this colorblind, uncontrolled disease that has no borders or boundaries. It is rapidly metastasizing across America and putting all of us in harm's way from a direct impact, or associated collateral damage.

Everyone buy this book today, and keep it in your reference library.

This is a must read for anyone who has been subjected to or witnessed bullying in the workplace. With the current state of the economy, this type of behavior is on the increase - more carnage in the wake. Hello Lawmakers - when are you going to do something to protect people from these vicious predators in the workplace???