Naughty or Nice

The holiday season tends to brings out the best in people. Communities across the world are inspired to give to those less fortunate. Many campus communities and student groups organize efforts to support nonprofits like the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and local food banks.

However, for some people, Christmas brings out their inner Grinch. Grinches show up at shopping malls and fight over merchandise. They steal packages that are left on porches and front doors stoops. In fact, some Grinches have the audacity to destroy nativity scenes and steal decorations. For example, police in Philadelphia recently released a surveillance video of two people stealing decorations from a South Philly home in the early morning hours. These two thieves were caught on tape removing decorative candy canes, elves, and even Santa Claus. These Grinches are no doubt on the naughty list!

In contrast, eight-year-old twin sisters Maggie and Sophie Lile exemplify the spirit of Christmas. The Lile sisters have volunteered alongside their mother for the last four years collecting books and food for several homeless shelters in their Kansas City community. They were recently nominated and received the Presidential Call to Service Award for their efforts. Currently the Lile twins are working with their Girl Scout troop to create meal sacks and personal care packs for shelters that help homeless women and families in need. Maggie and Sophie definitely make the nice list.

As we delve full tilt into the holiday season, I hope you are inspired to be "nice." Take time to reach out to those in your community in need and for goodness sakes, don't be a Grinch! 

Wishing you a very happy holiday season!

Kent M. Weeks 

The Cyberbully Strikes Again

Cyberbullying seems to know no boundaries. Stories of cyberbullies tend to focus on students; however, recently cyberbullying has reared its ugly head in one of the most unexpected places—the NFL. 

Jonathan Martin of the Miami Dolphins recently opted to quit the team mid-season. What caused Martin--a 24-year-old, six-foot-five, 312-pound offensive lineman--to walk away from a prestigious well-paying position? The answer is bullying.

During Martin’s 18 months with the Dolphins, he claims that he was bullied and harassed by fellow teammate Richie Incognito. Martin alleges that Incognito regularly sent disturbing texts and voicemail messages to Martin containing racial slurs, threats of physical violence, and even death threats. Incognito and other veteran players on the Dolphins allegedly pressured younger players, such as Martin, into paying for expensive meals, binges at strip clubs, and extravagant trips—a system they referred to as a “virgin tax.” A team culture emerged where older players were able to intimidate, control, and extort younger players. Younger players simply endured the harassment. After all, once they paid the virgin tax, they could subject younger players to the same treatment. 

Like Martin, many college students experience similar forms of harassment from bullies both on campus and online. Recently a study conducted by researchers at Indiana State University found that 15 percent of the college students surveyed were bullied and 22 percent reported being cyberbullied. The prevalence of bullying occurring online has caused colleges and universities to focus greater attention to online civility.

Bullying involves the intentional systematic pattern of intimidation and harassment by one person designed to humiliate, frighten, or isolate another. Cyberbullies leverages electronic communication, such as texts, instant messages, and social media, to harass targets. The psychological impact of cyberbullying can be overwhelming. People who are subjected to cyberbullying may suffer from depression, decreased self-worth, hopelessness, and loneliness, which are often precursors to suicidal ideations.

Colleges and universities can play an important role in combating bullying both on campus and online. Anti-bullying and harassment policies are a good start. They establish a baseline standard that bullying is not an acceptable behavior on campus.

Another strategy used by institutions of higher education is social norming campaigns. These campaigns involve a campus-wide promotion and advancement of shared community values—values such as mutual dignity and respect for diverse people. These shared community values are then reinforced and infused in campus literature, orientations, and curriculum. Social norming programs look to establish a welcoming campus culture that encourages students to embrace common community values rather than simply regulate conduct.

Students may not appreciate the harmful effect cyberbullying has on other people. Incognito probably did not take his texts and voicemail messages seriously. Perhaps he thought it was all just a joke. Bullying, however, is no joking matter. Students must understand that bullying can be devastating to a target, even targets who are NFL players. 

Kent M. Weeks

Understanding Workplace Bullying

I continue to receive an increasing number of inquiries about the subject of bullying as it relates to campus civility. In December, I wrote about student bullying. However, bullying is not limited to students. Bullying can also affect the workplace, creating a toxic work environment that is apathetic, ineffective, and dysfunctional. College and university employers are no exception.

Workplace bullying involves deliberate, repeated, and hurtful acts that take place at work or in the course of employment. Bullying is distinguished from isolated acts of incivility in that bullying is intentional, systematic, and persists over time. The harassment occurs repeatedly and regularly (at least once a week) over a period of time (at least six months).  

Common examples of workplace bullying include verbal abuse, threatening and intimidating conduct, constant criticism, undermining of work performance, exclusion, marginalization, spreading rumors, overloading with work, and taunting. This conduct is characterized by unfair and unwarranted treatment. 

The goal of the bully is to use negative social pressure to humiliate, undermine, or demean the target. The deliberate and continuous pattern of abuse can cause severe psychological damage to the victim. In fact, the American Psychological Association recently reported that the psychological impact of dealing with workplace bullying may be more harmful than sexual harassment. 

There have been a number of studies that show that failing to address bullying in the workplace may have a significant financial impact on the employer. For example, a workplace that is ravished by bullying is less productive. Robert Sutton, management professor at Stanford University, estimates that productivity declines as much as 40 percent in workplaces dominated by bullies. Employees who are bullied have higher rates of absenteeism, are more distracted at work, and exhibit lower levels of morale and engagement. 

Another significant expense associated with workplace bullying is turnover related costs. A report released by No Workplace Bullies suggests that up to 30 percent of bullied employees, and up to 20 percent of employees who witness bullying, will resign when bullying persists. Turnover related costs, which often include recruitment, training, severance pay, and lost productivity, can be 50 percent or more of the exiting employee’s annual salary. Accordingly, replacing just one employee as a result of bullying could cost the employer thousands of dollars. 

Lost productivity and turnover related costs are not the only expenses. If bullying persists, employers could face unnecessary legal expenses in addressing employee conflict, lawsuits, and workers compensation claims. For example, the University of Virginia is currently defending a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges the university negligently failing to address claims of bullying which resulted in an employee suicide. 

Bullying is a serious problem for employers. It can create an uncivil environment that reduces productivity, morale, and engagement and can drive some of the most talented employees out the door. These repercussions can take a significant financial toll on an organization. Accordingly, employers should take meaningful steps to promote a more respectful working environment and a culture of civility. When employees are afforded a safe and bully-free workplace, they will likely be more productive, innovative, and engaged. A culture of civility does not mean that colleagues will always agree, but rather differences will be vetted respectfully and without malicious personal attacks, threats, or verbal harassment.   

Kent M. Weeks