{"id":15431,"date":"2024-09-19T14:30:25","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/?p=15431"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:42:24","slug":"how-to-handle-workplace-bullying-tips-for-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/how-to-handle-workplace-bullying-tips-for-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle Workplace Bullying: 10 Tips for Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What comes to mind when you\u2019re asked to imagine a bully?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps distant memories of schoolyard tyrants whose only goal was to strike fear into the hearts of their classmates?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, for those who have had the misfortune of realizing that some bullies stay bullies well into adulthood, this question may conjure the image of a manager or even a close coworker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest survey<\/a>, 30% of US adults have directly experienced workplace bullying<\/strong>. And, lest you think that this kind of behavior is only common among in-office workers, that number rises to 43.2% for those working remotely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of these worrying statistics, many organizations have had to reexamine the way they approach workplace harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if your company hasn\u2019t quite gotten around to doing so \u2014 or if your efforts to enforce an anti-bullying policy haven\u2019t taken root yet \u2014 here\u2019s how you can handle bullying in the workplace as a manager.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Tip #1: Understand the consequences of toxic workplace culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, few organizations feel the need to deal with difficult employees<\/a> as long as their behavior doesn’t cross the bounds of legality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledging workplace bullying before that point would mean admitting that there\u2019s something wrong with the company culture, since employee misconduct is often seen as the reflection of management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, a manager would have had to onboard the bully in question and miss the signs of toxic work culture<\/a> for quite some time before the issue became apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, if you yourself are a manager, you need to look beyond the stigma and really consider the effect this behavior might have on team performance<\/a> and dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the author of Inclusive Leadership for Dummies<\/em>, Dr. Shirley Davis<\/a>, letting toxic behavior slide might affect employee trust as well as a company\u2019s reputation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen the team sees these behaviors, they too feel uncomfortable and unsafe to speak up. Thus, the company loses out on getting the best ideas and being more innovative in solving business problems. What\u2019s more, it <\/em>loses great talent<\/em><\/strong>. Additionally, the <\/em>company\u2019s reputation suffers<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>internally and externally<\/em><\/strong> because staff does talk amongst themselves and they will take to social media, employee surveys, and external reporting sites to <\/em>share their feedback<\/em><\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Furthermore, according to Dr. Jason Walker<\/a>, an Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational and Applied Psychology, workplace bullying can have many detrimental effects both on the team in general and the individual experiencing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWorkplace bullying severely <\/em>impacts morale<\/em><\/a> and productivity. Long-term effects include:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n