Workplace Bullying Institute

U.S. Hostile Workplace Survey 2000
The Workplace Bullying Institute

B. Support for Bullied Targets

About each of five groups of potential supporters, Targets were asked if they directly told about their mistreatment and what actions did the person take. The possible actions were behavioral descriptions arranged on a 5 to 6-point Likert-like scale. The categories of actions were:

- Positive actions (maintaining the Target's perspective, testifying, keeping the relationship)
- Doing nothing, even though by virtue of telling the person, a request for help was made
- Negative actions (abandonment of Target, turning into an enemy, siding with the bully)

Potential supporters were: Co-Workers, Bully's Boss, Human Resources, Spouse/Partner and Outside (of work) Friends

The table below summarizes who was told about the bullying and what they did in terms of helping or hurting.

PERCENTAGES	Co-Workers	Bully's Boss	Human Resources	Spouse/Partner	Outside Friends
Were Told by Target:	87	73	63	92	91
Positives:	15	18	17	85	79
Did Nothing:	28	40	51	9	15
Negatives:	57	42	32	6	6

Targets were least likely to tell HR, but that is because of HR's reputation of backing management (the bully's boss in this survey), which is reflected in the statistically significant correlation between HR and the bullies' bosses support levels (r = .496, p<.0001).

It is clear that workplace "insiders" ‚ co-workers, the bully's boss and HR ‚ were destructive, not supportive.

Perhaps we are so hard on HR because of the data above and Targets' comments like these:

"I would have left the hostile environment sooner. I am proud I took a stand. I regret informing human resources. I regret mediation process."

"Everyone that has ever gone to HR became unemployed eventually."

". . . the irony of the problem is that I am a Human Resource Professional. HR Management can be a ruthless bunch of people that stick together while using the system to meet their own goals. They are rarely under suspicion and assist upper management, not the general employee population."

Positive, supportive behaviors were provided by spouses and friends outside of work.