Emerald Training Consultants

Shootings renew fears over workplace threats

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Three recent workplace shootings have again cast a spotlight on violence at work and the steps employers can take to recognize threats and protect employees, particularly in the ways they hire, fire or lay off workers...

http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20091115/ISSUE01/311159954

MISSED WARNING SIGNS OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IN FORT HOOD AND ORLANDO SHOOTINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:11:00 +0000

In the wake of the November 5, 2009 Fort Hood tragedy that left 13 dead and 42 wounded, employers can learn an important lesson about not ignoring the warning signs of workplace violence...

http://www.examiner.com/x-21854-Hartford-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d14-MISSED-WARNING-SIGNS-OF-WORKPLACE-VIOLENCE-IN-FORT-HOOD-AND-ORLANDO-SHOOTINGS

Fort Hood tragedy latest in 40-year string of U.S. mass shootings

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:50:00 +0000

When Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan went on his murderous rampage killing 13 and wounding 30 others Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, he became the latest perpetrator of a uniquely American phenomenon of mass public shootings.

One day later, alleged gunman Jason Rodriquez, walked into the Orlando FL., engineering firm where he had been terminated two years before. He left one person dead and 5 injured.

http://www.examiner.com/x-27231-Sacramento-Cultural-Trends-Examiner~y2009m11d9-Fort-Hood-tragedy-latest-in-40year-string-of-US-mass-shootings

Son of Washington Lt. Gov. Owen shot during workplace violence

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:40:00 +0000

The adult son of Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen was wounded Monday in a workplace shooting in Kent, police reported...

http://www.thenewstribune.com/updates/story/948075.html

Workplace Shootings in Florida, Texas Again Put Focus on Violence on the Job

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:33:00 +0000

An engineer who was dismissed for poor performance two years ago allegedly returned to his former workplace in Orlando, Florida, the morning of Friday, November 6, and shot and killed one person while wounding five others, authorities said...

http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/26/78/57.php

Doctor stabbed, attacker killed

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:57:00 +0000

A patient at a Massachusetts General Hospital bipolar clinic stabbed his psychiatrist during a treatment session yesterday afternoon, and was then shot dead by an off-duty security guard, in a frantic scene that a colleague later described as “every psychiatrist’s worst nightmare.’’

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/10/28/doctor_stabbed_attacker_killed_at_massachusetts_general_hospital/

Ask the right question about gang rape

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:43:00 +0000

The alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on the campus of Richmond High School in Northern California while 10 or more witnesses, most of them students, looked on has sparked familiar questions: "Why are our kids so messed up?" "Why didn't these students try to stop the crime?" "What's happening in our schools?"

http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/02/astor.gang.violence/

Lack of NFL intervention in Tom Cable case demonstrates double standard

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:45:00 +0000

On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson apparently uttered a homophobic slur in the presence of the media. The statement came hours after he directed a shorter version of the same term at one of the followers of his Twitter page.
By Monday night, the NFL was investigating the situation.
A Napa, Calif. district attorney said there was not enough evidence for a jury to convict Tom Cable of any offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.
By Tuesday, the Chiefs suspended Johnson indefinitely — while curiously going out of their way to not call it a suspension.
In contrast, Raiders coach Tom Cable, defensive assistant Randy Hanson, and three other assistant coaches emerged from a meeting room in early August. One of them, Hanson, had a broken jaw and he claimed Cable was responsible...

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-10-28/lack-nfl-intervention-tom-cable-case-demonstrates-double-standard

Handling workplace violence

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:44:00 +0000

The recent murder of Annie Le, a Yale Ph.D. student, allegedly killed by her co-worker, in what authorities have called a case of “workplace violence” has brought the issue to the forefront. In spite of the staid and responsible stereotypes, lawyers are not immune to workplace violence...

http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&volume=29&number=24&article=4

Tips and advice to stop bullying and school violence

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Last week the horrific story of the fifteen year old, Michael Brewer, who was doused in alcohol and set on fire by other teens! The story literally stunned our community. According to the Miami Herald, the doctors say he is making significant progress. The five teens are charged with aggravated battery in the attack earlier this month at a Broward County apartment complex. Authorities say they were retaliating in a quickly escalating dispute over a video game...

http://www.examiner.com/x-19494-Broward-County-Parenting-Teens-Examiner~y2009m10d25-Tips-and-advice-to-stop-bullying-and-school-violence

WCB hostage-taking ends peacefully

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:54:00 +0000

A man carrying a gun and a grudge held eight people hostage for 10 hours in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday before peacefully surrendering to police, ending a drama that emptied office towers and riveted people across the city for much of the day...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/hostage+taking+ends+peacefully/2128080/story.html#

High Profile Violence @ School - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:11:00 +0000

High Profile Violence @ School - 2009

January 8 (New Castle, DE) - One person was shot and injured outside of William Penn High School after a basketball game.

January 9 (Chicago Il) - A gunman began shooting indiscriminately from a car into a crowd of people that were leaving a basketball game at Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational Career Academy. Five people were injured.

January 27 (Clayton NC) - Two teenagers were arrested for firing a gun in the parking lot of Clayton High School. A bullet struck the outside wall of the gymnasium, where a basketball game was in progress.

March 11 (Winnenden, Germany) — A teenager in black combat gear went on a rampage at his old school in Germany Wednesday, killing at least 15 people before turning his gun on himself in a shootout with police.

April 3 (Binghamton, NY) - A gunman barricaded the back door of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class Friday, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide.

April 9 (Dove Creek, CO) - Two teens, who were arrested in New Mexico for burglary, had planned a shooting spree at Dove Creek High School in Colorado. The teens also planned to shoot the school’s principal and the superintendent, as well as the County Sheriff and Undersheriff. Police found three guns in the teenagers’ possession and seven more guns at the younger boy’s home.

April 10 (Dearborn, MI) A man shot and killed a female classmate and then himself at MacKenzie Fine Arts Center on the campus of Henry Ford Community College.

May 1 (Sheboygan, WI) - A troubled 17 year old shot himself in the stomach in the parking lot of Sheboygan North High School.

May 4 (West Covina, CA) - Two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder after plotting to shoot their classmates during a school assembly at Covina High School. Police found two loaded handguns at the home of the 15 year old, and believe the teens stole them from the 16 year old’s stepfather. The police began investigating when the stepfather reported his handguns missing over a month ago.

May 18 (Larose, LA) - A 15 year old fired a shot at a teacher before fleeing to a bathroom and shooting himself in the head at Larose-Cut Off Middle School. The teacher was not hit. The boy died several days later from his injuries.

June 9 (Lexington KY) - A school employee shot and killed another employee at Leestown Middle School. School had ended for the year and no students from the school’s summer programs were present during the shooting. The victim and shooter had clashed in the past.

June 24 (Parkersburg, IA) - A 24 year old man shot and killed his former high school football coach in the weight room of Aplington-Parkersburg High School. Several students were in the weight room at the time of the shooting, but no one else was injured. The shooter was arrested at a nearby home.

September 23 (Tyler, TX) - Murder charges are now filed in the death of a John Tyler teacher. A 16-year-old stuent is accused of stabbing the teacher Wednesday morning inside a special education classroom. The victim was taken to a local hospital, but died from his wounds.

October 13 (Coral Gables, FL) - One student stabbed another to death during a fight Tuesday in a courtyard Coral Gables Senior High School in Florida.

October 19 (Storrs, CT) - A 20-year-old University of Connecticut football player was stabbed to death early Sunday after an on-campus dance, just hours after helping his team to a homecoming victory.

October 24 ( , CA) - A 15-year-old student was gang raped after a school sponsored homecoming dance on the campus of Richmond High School in Northern California while 10 or more witnesses, most of them students, looked on.

High Profile Violence in the Workplace - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:15:00 +0000

High Profile Violence in the Workplace - 2009

January 7 (Atlanta, GA) - A 27-year-old waiter was killed when armed men burst into Standard Food & Spirits (Grant Park area) and robbed it while the waiter and a bartender were closing up.
January 12 (Las Vegas, NV) - A 49-year old physician was fatally shot by a patient in her office. Though no motive has been established, a friend of the physician said she was the primary physician for the killer and was a scapegoat for his health ailments.

January 17 (Glasgow, MT) - A 37-year-old part-time emergency medical technician, was fatally shot outside Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital late Saturday afternoon. The gunman also fired on a hospital nurse and her husband, who went to assist the technician.

January 28 (Cambridge, MA) - A feud turned deadly Wednesday morning when a 65-year-old custodian allegedly gunned down a 33- year-old colleague at their company, chasing the victim outside to finish him off, authorities said.

January 30 (Cape Vincent, NY) - A volunteer Emergency Medical Technician treating a man in a Cape Vincent residence was shot and killed late Friday night by the man being treated, state police said.

January 30 (Syracuse, NY) - Police are charging a 20-year-old Syracuse man with fatally shooting a cab driver.

February 9 (Northridge, CA) - A knife-wielding man allegedly attacked his boss and a fellow employee at a security company; he was shot and critically wounded by his injured supervisor, police said.

February 14 (Brockport, NY) - A 35 year-old man opened fire in the parking lot of a hospital from which he was recently fired. He shot three people there, killing two, and later shot a married couple execution-style inside their home.

March 8 (Maryville, IL) - A pastor was gunned down in the middle of Sunday morning services by a man who walked up the center aisle of the First Baptist Church. The gunman spoke a few words to the startled pastor, then opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun.

March 11 (Samson, AL; Geneva, AL) - A gunman went on a deadly rampage spanning several locations in southern Alabama, killing at least 10 people before turning the gun on himself. Several businesses were targeted including: a "Big Lil" store, Samson Pipe and Supply, Hobo Pantry service station, Walmart, and Reliable Metal Products.

March 21 (Oakland, California) - A man with an extensive criminal history shot five
police officers, killing four of them. The gunman shot and killed the first two police officers
during a routine traffic stop, and then fled to a nearby apartment building where he shot
another three police officers with an assault rifle. Police shot and killed the gunman.

March 24 (San Diego, CA) - An act of workplace violence in San Diego left two employees of the Metropolitan Transit System dead and a third on life support, police said.

March 30 (Carthage, NC) - Investigators are looking into whether a gunman accused of killing eight people in a North Carolina nursing home may have targeted the facility because his estranged wife worked there, police said.

April 3 (Binghamton, NY) A gunman barricaded the back door of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class Friday, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide.

April 4 (Pittsburgh, PA) A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call, killing three of them.

May 31 (Wichita, KA) Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic frequently took center stage in the U.S. debate over abortion, was shot and killed while serving as an usher at his Wichita church Sunday morning, police said.

June 10 (Washington, DC) A gunman opened fire inside the Holocaust Museum in the nation's capital Wednesday, fatally shooting a security guard before other officers returned fire and injured the assailant, officials said.

July 2 (Gaffney, SC) - A teenage girl, shot Thursday while helping her father in their family's small furniture and appliance store, died Saturday, becoming the fifth victim of a suspected serial killer terrorizing a small South Carolina community, authorities said. He father was killed Thursday during the attack.

August 4 (Bridgeville, PA) A man killed three women and wounded nine others before killing himself Tuesday at a Pennsylvania fitness center. Experts say his writings contained typical characteristics of a mass murderer.

September 3 (New Haven, CT) A 24-year old lab technician appeared in court and was charged with murder Thursday hours after his arrest in the killing of a graduate student whose body was found stuffed in the wall of the research building where they both worked.

September 22 (Fresno Co. CA) Investigators say a 33-year old man was shot and killed by a 46-year old man, who later turned the gun on himself. It happened just before 9:00 Tuesday morning at the Fresno Equipment Company, just south of Fresno.

October 8 (Salina, KS) Police believe a 49-year-old man shot his ex-wife and murdered her 48-year-old co-worker while the two were working at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center Thursday morning. The suspect and his ex-wife had been divorced for three years.

October 21 (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) A man carrying a gun and a grudge held eight people hostage for 10 hours in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday before peacefully surrendering to police, ending a drama that emptied office towers and riveted people across the city for much of the day.

November 5 (Ft. Hood, TX) A 39-year-old U.S. Army Major (psychiatrist) opened fire at a processing center Thursday at Fort Hood, the country's largest military installation. Thirteen people were killed and 29 were wounded.

November 6 (Orlando, FL) A 40-year-old man opened fire today in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago, authorities said, killing one person and injuring five others.

November 10 (Kent, WA) The adult son of Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen was wounded Monday in a workplace shooting. Mark Owen, 37, suffered gunshot wounds to the wrist and abdomen in the 2:30 p.m. shooting at Kent Body and Paint. Owen works at the business. The shooter, a 63-year-old man who works as a manager at the company, left the business after firing at Owen and reportedly shot himself in the head nearby.

November 10 (Portland, OR) The husband of an employee at a drug testing lab entered the building and shot and killed his wife before killing himself, reportedly after his wife had filed for divorce. Two other employees were wounded.

High Profile Violence @ School -2008

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:10:00 +0000

January 10 (Asheville, NC) - A 16 year-old boy walked into the center of Asheville High School looking for someone he knew. He fired up to four shots from a handgun at a group of students. No one was hurt.

January 15 (Putnam City, OK) - A 17 year-old was shot three times in a Putnam City High School parking lot after a basketball game.

January 16 (Charlotte, NC) - A student at Crossroads Charter High School was shot in the parking lot after an early scheduled dismissal.

January 22 (Washington, DC) - Four Ballou High School students were shot as they were leaving school at the end of the day. All students are expected to recover.

February 4 (Memphis, TN) - A 16 year-old student shot another 16 year-old in the leg while in class at Hamilton High School. The injury is not critical.

February 7 (Portsmouth, OH) - A man charged into an elementary school where his estranged wife was a teacher, firing a gun before stabbing her as her fifth-grade class watched.

February 8 (Baton Rouge, LA) - A female student shot two other women and herself inside a classroom on the campus of Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge.

February 11 (Memphis TN) - A 17 year-old shot another student multiple times before handing the gun over to the teacher during gym class at Mitchell High School. The two students had argued over the weekend. There were about 75 students in the room during the shooting.

February 13 (Oxnard, CA) - A 14 year old boy gunned down a 15 year old classmate in his English class. The victim, students say, had been teased at school for his effeminate dress and for being openly gay. The alleged gunman has been charged with 1st degree murder with the special allegation of a hate crime.

February 14 (DeKalb, IL) - A gunman dressed in black walked from behind a curtain at the front of a large lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and shot 22 people, five fatally, then killed himself.

February 23 (Jonesboro, AR) - A student was injured when a bullet ricocheted off a building and hit him in the leg on the campus of Arkansas State University. The shooter has not been identified.

February 27 (Little Rock, AR) - A student was shot on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

February 28 (Miami Gardens, FL) - A bullet grazed the ear of a 17 year-old student as he was leaving band practice at Miami Norland Senior High School.

March 6 (Mobile, AB) - A student shot and killed himself in front of 150 other students in the gym of Davidson High School.

March 7 (Chicago, IL) - A 15-year-old fatally shot an 18 year-old student outside Crane High School.

March 29 (Chicago, IL) - An 18 year-old died after being shot by a 17 year-old and a 19 year-old outside Simeon Career Academy shortly after Saturday classes let out. There had been a several fights leading up to the shooting.

March 31 (Hayward, CA) - A 17 year-old boy was shot in the leg at Royal Sunset Continuation School. Three other students are believed to have been involved in the shooting.

April 24 (Omaha, NE) An eight-grader was shot in the face during a soccer game at King Science and Technology Magnet Middle School.

April 29 (Washington D.C.) - A student shot two people at Excel Institute, a vocational school, stole two cars and fled from the police.

April 30 (Boca Raton, FL) - One person was injured at Florida Atlantic University when a man pulled a gun and fired twice during a fight at a party. The University was locked down until the shooter was arrested.

August 21 (Knoxville, TN) - A student fatally shot another student in the cafeteria of Central High School.

November 12 (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) - A 15-year-old female student was found shot and unconscious by a candy machine in a hallway of Dillard High School. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.

November 21 (Baltimore, MD) - A 15-year-old student was stabbed and killed outside his West Baltimore middle school yesterday afternoon, the first killing of a youth on city school grounds during school hours in more than 20 years.

High Profile Violence @ Work - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:06:00 +0000

January 5 (Gaston County, NC) - Two employees of a “mom and pop” convenience store were shot when an armed individual came in shooting in a violent robbery attempt as the two were closing the store. The shooting left the couple in critical condition.

January 7 (Walnut Hills, OH) - Four people were shot at a Walnut Hills night club. Among those shot were two innocent bystanders.

January 16 (Atlanta, GA) - Two off-duty police officers were shot and killed while working security at an apartment complex near Atlanta, Georgia.

February 2 (Tinley Park, Chicago, IL) - Six women were tied-up and then shot at a suburban clothing store. Five of the women died. The gunman escaped and has not been identified.

February 3 (Largo, MD) - Three men were shot and killed after an argument broke out at a restaurant over the super bowl.

February 7 (Los Angeles, CA) - A man killed three relatives and then entered into a lengthy standoff when police arrived at his house. In the standoff, the gunman killed one SWAT officer and injured another before he was killed.

February 7 (Kirkwood, MO) - A man entered a Kirkwood City Council Meeting and started shooting city officials. In all, the gunman killed five people and injured at least three others. Police later killed the gunman.

February 12 (New York, NY) - A female psychologist was murdered and a male colleague seriously injured, as he tried to help her fight off the suspect. A meat cleaver and a nine inch knife was use as the murder weapon.

March 3 (West Palm Beach, FL) - A gunman wearing a jacket and tie wordlessly and randomly opened fire inside a Wendy's during the lunchtime rush Monday, killing a firefighter who'd gone back to retrieve his child's toy and wounding five other diners. He then turned the gun on himself.

March 18 (Santa Maria, CA) - Four men were shot to death in a junkyard outside the city Tuesday and a man was taken into custody in what police said was “a case of workplace violence.”

March 19 (Virginia Beach, VA) - A man shot five people, killing two, with an AK-47 Assault Rifle and .9mm handgun before killing himself. The man was about to be evicted from his apartment and targeted the apartment complex’s employees in his attack.

March 27 (Columbus, GA) - A man upset about the hospital care his dying mother received years before, returned to the same hospital, and fatally shot three people there. The shooter mistakenly believed the first victim to be a nurse who had negligently cared for his mother. The other two victims got in the shooter’s way.

April 1 (Randolf, MA) - A man shot and wounded a co-worker at an industrial park yesterday morning before driving away and ending his own life, apparently with the same handgun, police said.

May 31 (Hazard, KY) - A man shot and killed two people, and then himself in a convenience store. One of the people killed was a local official.

June 25 (Henderson, KY) – Angry that he had been reprimanded for talking on his cell phone and failing to wear safety goggles while on the job, a man fatally shot his boss and four other workers in a barrage of gunfire at the Atlantis Plastics plant, then killing himself.

July 11 (Florence, SC) - A Darlington man shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself during an argument the two had at the woman’s job early Friday.

August 1 (Bristol, PA) - A worker recently fired for absenteeism showed up outside a book warehouse fatally shooting a veteran employee and a temp before being arrested.

August 21 (Evanston, WY) - A 63 year-old man had a verbal argument with his 43 year-old boss while at work last Thursday morning. The 63 year-old shot and killed his boss before turning the gun on and killing himself.

November 10 (Green Park, MO) - Two restaurant workers were found dead inside an all-night Steak 'n Shake in South St. Louis County early this morning.

November 14 (Santa Clara, CA) - A recently laid-off tech employee opened fire inside the Santa Clara office where he used to work, police said, killing three people, including the CEO and another top executive.

November 14 (Springfield, MO) - An act of violence in a medical clinic near St. Louis left two people dead. It happened when a lab technician's estranged ex-boyfriend came to the St. John's Mercy Urgent Care Center. The man killed the lab tech and then was shot to death by police.

December 24 (Sioux Falls, SD) - A woman, on morning break outside HSBC Card Services where she worked, was shot and killed by her estraged husband, police said. The woman was seeking a divorce from her husband. She had filed for divorce on Monday; he had been served with the papers on Tuesday.

Chamber Host Workplace Violence Prevention Program

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:52:00 +0000

According to experts the problem of violence in the workplace is only going to grow unless companies can recognize warning signs to limit the behavior...

http://news10now.com/content/all_news/central_new_york/115987/chamber-hosts-workplace-violence-prevention-program/Default.aspx

Zogby Poll on Workplace Bullying

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:49:00 +0000

Date: Aug.30, 2007

Zogby Poll: As Labor Day Nears, Workplace Bullying Institute Survey Finds Half of Working Americans Affected by Workplace Bullying

UTICA, NY – Half of working Americans (49%) have suffered or witnessed workplace bullying -- including verbal abuse, job sabotage, abuse of authority or destruction of workplace relationships, according to a new Workplace Bullying Institute/Zogby Interactive survey.

Prevalence. The WBI survey found that 37% of the U.S. workforces, an estimated 54 million employees, have been bullied now or sometime during their worklife. Despite this epidemic-level prevalence, 45% of respondents said they have never seen or experienced bullying at work.

"It's clearly a 'silent epidemic,'" claims Dr. Gary Namie, Director of the Workplace Bullying Institute in Bellingham, Washington. Stress from prolonged exposure to bullying (33% suffer for more than one year) adversely affects psychological or physical health of 45% of targets.

Gender. When bullies are women, they choose other women as their prey in 71% of cases. Bullying, or status-blind harassment, is four (4) times more prevalent than illegal, civil rights, status-based harassment. Same-gender harassment defines the two most frequent categories of bullying. Gary Namie said, "It was legal when we started the movement in '98 and it still is today."

Employer reactions. Because 40% of bullied respondents left their jobs, it is estimated that the skills of 21+ million workers are lost to employers due to bullying. However, when employers are notified, in the majority (62%) of cases, they do nothing or make matters worse. Employer indifference may be based on these findings -- most bullies are bosses (72%); bullies enjoy support from executive sponsors, peers and human resources; most targets are non-supervisory workers (55%); and in 80% of cases, it is legal.

Method. The nationwide interactive survey was conducted August 10 – 13, 2007, and included 7,740 respondents. The measure of error is +/– 1.1 percentage points. This is the largest, national, representative study of the phenomenon in the U.S. to date.

Results can be found online at: bullyinginstitute.org WBI is the sole U.S. nonprofit research & education organization dedicated to the correction & prevention of workplace bullying.

The New York Healthy Workplace Advocates (NYHWA) is a WBI affiliate group that can be found online at NYHWA.org. New York State leads the country with three active bills, as follows: A07801 sponsored by Assemblymember Bob Barra, S2715 sponsored by Senator William T. Stachowski, with cosponsors Mary Lou Rath, Diane J. Savino, and Dale Volker and A04921 sponsored by Assemblymember Mark J. F. Schroeder, with cosponsors Joan L. Millman, William Colton, and George S. Latimer, and two multisponsors Barbara M. Clark and Charles D. Lavine.

The Zogby Poll clearly illustrates the need for legislation prohibiting hostile work behavior, abusive conduct and workplace bullying. More survey details can be found at http://bullyinstitute.org/wbi-zogby2007.html.

The Workplace Bullying Institute’s Definition of the Phenomenon

noreply@blogger.com (Emerald Training) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:43:00 +0000

[Definition]-repeated mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: · verbal abuse or, · threatening, humiliating or offensive behavior/actions (verbal and nonverbal forms) or, · work interference -- sabotage -- which prevents work from getting done so severe that the mistreatment harms the health of the targeted person -- stress-related physical consequences or psychological/emotional injury -- or leads to economic harm through termination, demotion or denied promotions.

Workplace Bullying: (a) is driven by perpetrators' need to control the targeted individual(s) , (b) is initiated by bullies who choose targets, timing, place and methods, (c) escalates to involve others who side with the bully, either voluntarily through coercion, and it (d) undermines legitimate business interests when bullies' personal agendas take precedence over work itself. Bullying, general workplace harassment, is more prevalent than it’s more famous and illegal special varieties--sexual harassment and racial discrimination. A recent reliable study estimates that approximately 1 in 6 U.S. workers has directly experienced destructive bullying in the past year. (according to a year 2000 scientific sample of State of Michigan residents) Bullying transcends gender. Half of all bullies (58%) are women. Half of all bullying is woman-on-woman. Women comprise 80% of targets. The vast majority of bullies (71%) are bosses. [From WBI research surveys that can be reviewed along with research by others.]

Bullies bully because they can; they do so with impunity. The complex answer to why bullies bully can be reduced to 3 factors: (a) some workplaces pit worker against worker in zero-sum (cutthroat) competitive work arrangements, (b) Machiavellian types (who live to manipulate others to accomplish their own goals) see the opportunities, and (c) in bullying-prone workplaces, employers reward the aggression with promotions and rewards. Bullies are rarely psychopathic, but are always narcissistic and machiavellian.

Targethood hinges on two characteristics: a desire to cooperate and a non-confrontive interpersonal style. Bullying poses a serious health hazard to Targets by compromising their psychological and physical health, disassembling their social network and risking economic devastation through the loss of their jobs because "employment at will" encourages the bully's whimsical misuse of power. Targets who are most surprised by the baseless cruelty inflicted on them suffer the most severe effects (PTSD) and take the longest time to heal afterwards. Silent, frozen co-workers worsen the problem often by choosing to cut off support, to tacitly or directly join the bully's personal vendetta against the Target. Eventually, the workplace is paralyzed by fear, incapable of productive work, and susceptible to costly downtime with an unhealthy workforce and an increased liability for destructive employment practices.

Unlike cases involving violations of federally protected Civil Rights, bullied individuals in the U.S. and Canada today have few, mostly unsuccessful, avenues for legal redress. Beginning in 2003 in California, the Workplace Bullying Institute-driven Healthy Workplace Bill has been introduced in several states. It has not yet become a law.