0 Adult Bullying in the Workplace

By Brad Zehring, DO

I would rather be a
little nobody, then to be an evil somebody - Abraham Lincoln

Typically, when bullying is talked about it is in the
context of children or adolescents during some level of schooling. Rarely do we
think about bullying as an adult issue. However, much more attention has been
focused on adult bullying – more specifically, adult bullying in the workplace.

According to various sources, citing research and survey’s, it
has been reported that as many as 1 in 4 adults will face some form of bullying
in their career.  It is important to
point out the differences between constructive criticism, workplace conflict,
and bullying. Workplace bullying focuses on the person rather than the
performance or task being completed by the person. In addition, the person
being targeted feels powerless to stop it. Making the situation worse, is when
the adult being bullied goes to management to report the offense and the abuse
is minimized or discounted altogether. Complicating the issue further is the
difficulty verbalizing what is taking place or being unaware that what is
occurring is bullying, leading to worsening suffering.

What are some forms
of workplace bullying?

As discussed earlier, workplace bullying can be described as
an extreme pattern where the person is isolated apart from his/her performance
or task. Some examples of workplace bullying are: being left-out of
work-related social events, coworkers refusing to help when asked, coworkers
leaving the room when you enter or routinely arriving to meetings late that
when you call them, being yelled at, put down, or disciplined in front of your
coworkers. These are some of the ways that workplace bullying presents, but it
is not an exhaustive list.

How workplace
bullying is harmful

For individuals who are being bullied in the workplace,
their desire to go into work day after day is diminished and their satisfaction
in their performance and with their employer decreases.  Many reports discuss the loss of productivity
when job satisfaction decreases. Beyond the psychological stress (depression,
anxiety, PTSD, etc) – which should not be minimized, stress from bullying can
lead to physical illness such as stroke, heart attacks, chronic fatigue or dissatisfaction
in an person’s personal life – including leading to suicide. There are many reports
documenting poor job satisfaction negatively affecting all areas on one’s life.
Feeling accomplished and satisfied in a career can lead to a happier personal
life and vice versa.



How to prevent or
deal with workplace bullying

While recognizing or speaking up about workplace bullying
can be a difficult task - it is important not to be silent about bullying experiences,
whether personal attacks or witnessed attacks on colleagues, or isolate from
those that may be able to help. Currently, states are working on anti-bullying
bills to encourage healthy workplace environments, but fostering a workplace
for your coworkers that doesn’t tolerate bullying is key. Many organizations
provide or contract with mental health professionals willing to discuss,
advise, and help an individual navigate the process. It is important to
document your concerns and be specific and concise with the message you are
trying to convey if you feel you are being bullied. Despite how difficult it
may be, it is important to approach the bully or go to your supervisor with a
calm demeanor and discuss your concerns rationally. Lastly, it is important to
have an open mind about the situation. Sometimes it may be that the “bully”
does not realize how his/her actions have affected you. Approaching them, or
the situation, calmly will provide an environment for understanding and
increase the probability for change.

How to "Bully-Proof " Kids

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0 Cyberbullying: an Update on Intimidation in the Digital Playground

By Arshya Vahabzadeh, M.D.

Follow @VahabzadehMD

American Psychiatric Association Leadership Fellow

Resident Physician in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at
MGH/McLean/Harvard Medical School

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying
is bullying,
intimidation, and harassment that happens with the aid of electronic technology.
Cyberbullying can happen through text messaging, social media, and emails. The
boundaries of cyberbullying continue to expand as new communication
technologies emerge.

Cyberbullying is emerging as a major
problem, with new research from the Bureau for Justice Statistics revealing
that 9% of teenagers aged 12-18 have reported being cyberbullied in a given
year.

Female
students are more likely to experience cyberbullying. The most common forms of
cyberbullying include harassment by text or instant messaging, or the posting
of hurtful information on the internet. Despite the high levels of
cyberbullying, an adult is notified in only a quarter of cases.

How is cyberbullying different than traditional bullying?

Cyberbullying
can continue 24 hours a day and is not dependent on location. While traditional
bullying often requires the physical presence of a bully, a child can be
cyberbullied at anytime and anywhere they are in contact with communication
technology, including their own cell phone. There may be no “safe” zone and
this may intensify the level of distress that the cyberbullying can produce.

Material
such as digital pictures, text messages, or social media posts designed to hurt
an individual can be rapidly distributed to a large group of people. Often it
is difficult to find out the source of the information, giving a degree of
anonymity to the cyberbully.

Harassing
and intimidating material, once distributed through digital means are also much
more difficult to remove. Often videos or pictures may stay indefinitely
available through digital means.

What are the effects of cyberbullying?

People who are
cyberbullied are thought to be at risk of the same consequences of traditional
bullying. These effects include increased depression, decreased self-worth,
hopelessness, and loneliness. There is some evidence to suggest that being
cyberbullied may result in suicidal feelings in 20% of teenagers, a higher rate
than in traditional bullying.

What can we do about cyberbullying?

Promote Good
Digital Habits

• Keep
  your children informed about the risks of the technology they are using.


• Engage
  your children in a discussion on how to best deal with cyberbullying by
  formulating a plan for dealing with text messages or other digital content that
  is upsetting to them. Children should be made to feel as comfortable as
  possible in discussing their experiences with trusted adults.


• Review
  and teach them about privacy settings for digital media. Talk to them about
  limiting the amount of private information they share about themselves.


• Tell
  children to keep their passwords safe and not to share them with friends or
  people they don’t know.

Take Action

• Approach
  a child if you notice signs of changing behavior, especially if it is happening
  when they are using the computer, their cell phone, or any other communication
  device.


• Consider
  discussing the situation with the suspected bullies’ parents, the child’s
  school, and other organizations they may be involved in.


• Identify
  and archive the cyberbullying material, it may be useful when contacting the Internet service provider, cell phone company, or in severe circumstances, the
  police.


• Consider
  closing down targeted social media accounts or changing cell phone numbers.


• Some
  cyberbullies thrive on obtaining a reaction, avoiding replying to messages or
  engaging with the cyberbully may also be useful in some situations.

Public Service Announcement:


Where can I get more information?

More on cyberbullying from stopbullying.gov and girlshealth.gov
 and onguardonline.gov

More on
bullying



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0 How to "Bully-Proof" Kids

By Gariane Phillips Gunter, M.D. 



Do you think October's national anti-bullying campaign was successful in stopping bullies? The Washington Post recently blogged about our country having a hard time defining bullying among kids. So, what can we, as parents, do to protect our children and teens? Here are some tips for "bully-proofing" your kids:

Distinguish between events and feelings - It is important to teach your children the difference in their interpretations of life situations. This helps kids learn to understand and relate to the feelings of others. They will be able to determine if someone is treating them appropriately - or if they are, in fact, being bullied.

Develop a sense of self - Another great way to bully-proof your child is to help them develop a sense of self. Encourage them to learn about and understand who they "are" because children who struggle to identify self-awareness or constantly strive to be their "hero" are never going to be able to live up to those expectations. This can be detrimental for their self-esteem - making them a direct target for bullying. Kids with low self-esteem are less likely to stick up for who they are which makes them prime targets for those looking to pick on someone (bullies often bully due to their own low self-esteem).

Monitor their online lives - Parents or caregivers should have access to online accounts and cell phones to ensure their teens' safety over the Internet. Cyberbullying continues to be a nationwide epidemic.  



Positive activities - It is also important to encourage your kids to explore activities that make them feel good about themselves. Find something that they are really good at because it will help increase their overall self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. Encouraging courageous behavior is another great way to guide children. You can teach them to stand up for themselves and for their peers and other friends. When groups of kids or teens stand together to put an end to a bullying situation, the bully is more likely to back off and won't mess with your child again.



Following these tips when your kids are young is the best way to show them how to establish early on that they will not tolerate bullying. 



Sources: http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/, http://www.olweus.org/

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0 Cyberbullying: How do you Protect Children from Online Bullies?

By Roberto Blanco, M.D.

With the proliferation of cellular phones and social networking sites, bullying as we once knew it has been changed forever. Gone are the days where the classic nickname pasted on the back or intimidation on the playground were the main forms of peer-to-peer humiliation. Cellular phones with texting and Internet capabilities have allowed adolescents to bully and intimidate their peers at all hours of the day and night. In fact, this type of bullying can begin as early as elementary school.

The meaning and value of friendships and relationships has also been changed. If adolescence wasn´t bad enough, gossip, secrets, and fallouts from former relationships are being broadcast online for all to see. In addition, several high-profile teen suicides have highlighted the importance of educating children about how to protect themselves from cyberbullying and the vicissitudes of the social networking world.

An article in The New York Times identified some of the challenges surrounding cyberbullying, including the roles and responsibilities of children, parents, the schools, and the legal system. The article raises more questions than it provides answers. It makes it clear, however, that children need to be educated about how to prevent cyberbullying, what to do if they are being bullied, and how to use digital media responsibly. Here are some ideas for you and your child to prevent or manage cyberbullying:

• Talk to your children about cyberbullying as they are getting a cell phone or a social networking account. Explain the warning signs of cyberbullying for themselves and towards others. They should have had a firm lesson in the golden rule and how they should be treated and treat others.

• Discuss with your children how to protect themselves from cyberbullying. They should only “friend” actual friends and not just acquaintances on social networking sites. They should not post or send via cell phone anything that they would not want everyone to see. ´Sexting´or the sending of nude photos is strictly prohibited and talk to them about the possible consequences of this type of behavior. Let them know that any photos posted on the Internet, stay on the Internet.

• Monitor your child´s behavior on cell phones and online through frequent conversations. If you think that they may be in danger, you may need to increase the amount of monitoring by getting account passwords or using random cell phone checks.

• Discuss who they can talk to if they are being bullied – parents, a trusted teacher, counselor, or a responsible friend. Adolescents are often wary of talking to parents about this for fear of overreaction, so give them other good options.

• If bullying continues to be a problem, problem-solve with your child. Consider talking to the bullies' parents, school administrators, or if severe enough, to the legal system or law enforcement. Consider changing cell phone numbers or closing accounts.

• If your child is doing the bullying or using the cell phone or social networking account inappropriately after re-direction, consider taking away the cell phone or closing social networking accounts. While there are many positives to this type of technology, remember that it is a privilege and not a right.

For more information, check out the National Crime Prevention Council and http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/. Read more about bullying on HealthyMinds.org. 

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