Category: Prevent Bullying
Prevent Bullying
PREVENT BULLYING
Bullying at School
Over 3.2 millions students are victims of bullying each year.
Bullying in the Workplace
72% of the adult America public is familiar with instances of workplace bullying.
Bullying on the Field
40 to 50% of student athletes have experienced anything from mild harassment to severe abuse in their sport of choice.
RESPECT IS THE ANSWER
Bullying happens whenever someone feels they don’t have the power to stop verbal or physical abuse happening to them.
Bullying is caused by a lack of respect not only by the bully, but also by anyone who sees or knows about it and remains silent. That silence contributes to the continuation—and possibly the increase—in harassment.
The effects of bullying can include absences at school or work, a decline in grades, job loss, and long-lasting impact on physical or mental health. What can we do to prevent bullying?
Respect is the answer. Everyone believes they should be treated with respect. Each of us can take the first step of treating others with the respect they deserve—at home, in our schools and workplaces, and in our communities.
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DO YOUR PART
You can get involved and do your part. How?
- CHAMPION bullying prevention by turning your words into good deeds. Get involved!
- ADVOCATE to stop bullying. Learn the facts and speak up!
DONATE your time, money, or goods to the cause of bullying prevention. Volunteer, attend, or support national or local efforts. Make it count!
Do Your Part, Prevent Bullying
For more information about how you can bring the Dignity & Respect/Best of the Batch Foundation program project to your school or sports team, contact the Dignity & Respect Campaign at xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Workplace Bullying
The Hidden Facts of Workplace Bullying
A common misperception is that bullying ends after one graduates or otherwise leaves high school. The truth is that bullying is alive and well in our adult world, and bullying in the workplace is a significant problem that is too often overlooked.
According to a 2014 study by the Workplace Bullying Institute, 7% of employees in the United States reported that they are currently being bullied – while an additional 20% reported being the victim of workplace bullying at some point in their career. At current economic employment rates, these percentages would translate to 11.16 million people currently victimized by workplace bullying and nearly 32 million people who have been a victim of workplace bullying at some point in their career.
Pathology of Workplace Bullying
Workplace bullying is much different than the more widely known type of bullying found in schools. Many of the tactics used are often more subtle, and any singular tactic would hardly be considered a case of bullying in our modern workplace. Over time, however, the patterns of behavior and the combination of tactics that a perpetrator uses to inflict emotional distress or otherwise exert influence over the victim are what makes workplace bullying especially problematic, and can often result in more overt behaviors.
The Costs of Workplace Bullying
Unsurprisingly, the prevalence of bullying in the workplace is taking a toll on the physical and mental health of employees. According to a 2012 study of victims of workplace bullying by the WBI, 71%of victims sought treatment from a physician during or shortly after they were victims of workplace bullying, while 63% sought care from a licensed mental health practitioner. The results of the diagnoses are alarming:
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, mental illness among the workforce amounted to $19 billion per year in lost employment and an additional $3 billion in reduced productivity. While not all of these losses can be attributed to the after effects of workplace bullying, additional research does indicate that victims of workplace bullying experienced 26%more absences from work due to to illness.
For the employer, the costs of workplace bullying are significant, and are largely comprised of those associated with reduced productivity and employee turnover. Excluding the costs of increased medical care expenses and the intangible costs associated with damage to reputations, the annual costs associated with productivity declines, turnover, disability payments, and legal proceedings for the average Fortune 500 employer are still in excess of $20 million per year.
How to Recognize Workplace Bullying
Many of our modern workplaces are highly competitive environments, where high levels of individual and team performance are necessary to achieve the organization’s goals. Identifying employees that may be victims of workplace bullying within this type of environment can be difficult, but there are some clear signs to look for.
The Nuances of Treating Others with Respect
“a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements”
This definition comes straight from the New Oxford American Dictionary. It is accompanied with several other variations on the term, as well as a couple examples of its usage: The director had a lot of respect for Douglas as an actor.
When thinking of how to give respect to others, you might be familiar with the old adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” For the most part, this phrase rings true. When we think about the ways in which we would like others to treat us, it makes sense to model that same behavior. But the problem with this idea is that it misses a very important aspect of people, which is that not everyone is the same.
This is why, of the Dignity & Respect Campaign’s 30 Tips, Tip No.6 is crucial: Treat others the way they want to be treated. Find out what respect means to others.
You can look respect up in the dictionary, or you can define what it means to you. But neither of these will serve as one-size-fits-all solutions to interacting with other people.
Consider this simple example: Wanda is relatively carefree. She doesn’t place a lot of stock in timeliness and usually runs around 15-20 minutes late to meetings, appointments, or social dates. When other people are late to appointments with her, she is very forgiving and nonchalant about it – it doesn’t bother her at all. However, her new friend, Deb, feels differently about her time and is offended when people are late. She holds herself to different standards than Wanda and makes it a point to be on time, if not 5 minutes early, to every meeting. She feels disrespected by Wanda when she repeatedly shows up late.
Is either of these women wrong in the way they perceive tardiness? What can be done to amend this dynamic?
How to Show Respect for All
When we learn how others view respectfulness, we can apply this knowledge to our own actions. If a friend does not care for physical affection, then refrain from embracing him or her when you get together. Knowing these nuances can create better relationships or better interactions in general.
Be observant when you engage with others. If you perceive a negative reaction from someone regarding something you’ve said or done, then make note not to repeat it around that person again. By far the best way to show respect to others is to communicate with them. Ask the hard or uncomfortable questions to truly learn how others prefer to be treated. Listen fully when people communicate back to you.
It does not require a great amount of effort to have an awareness of others or to try to communicate. But that little bit of effort can reap great rewards, and will help you do your part in creating a better world for ALL to live.