Are You Being Bullied At Work?

Found on www.prlog.org and brought to you by Lawyer Salinas

A recent study found that 35% of American adult workers say they're either being bullied now or have been bullied at work. That's more than 53 million people; a statistic that is indicative of how pervasive bullying has become in our workplace culture.

Sheila O’Shea Criscione, an employment attorney and conflict resolution expert with Deutsch Atkins of Hackensack, New Jersey, has been working to eradicate bullying for more two decades.  

“Often in the work place environment, bullies are difficult to identify because their behavior is very subtle and they operate surreptitiously, says Criscione.

Ms. Criscione has the following tips to help protect employees from being the victims of bullying behavior:

1.   Speak to the bully and ask him to stop the behavior that you perceive as threatening, intimidating, and manipulative.  

2.   Make a formal complaint.  Be vigilant and make sure your superior and senior managers, as well as your Human Resources department are put on notice of the bully behavior. Document your complaints to senior management, the company’s response, if any, including dates and times of all meetings and conversations as well as keep a copy all emails that you send or receive regarding the bully behavior.    

3.   Document and keep records of all meetings and conversations you have with the bully, including date, time and place with a brief description of all incidents, no matter how small.  

4.   In some states, you may even be legally entitled to record the conversations and interactions between you and the bully. This can only be done in single-consent recording states,( i.e, NJ and NY).  

5.   Speak to witnesses or others that are being bullied by the same person.

6.   Let management know that you like your job, but will not tolerate being made uncomfortable at work.  

7.   If you are a member of a protected class, you may have legal remedies at your disposal under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination or other statutory or common law theories.

8.   If management does not respond or help you handle the issue, and the bullying continues, consult with an Employment Law attorney.  

9.   For further information, please visit http://www.njemployeerights.com/