No one goes to work to be humiliated, abused, ostracised, subjected to rumours, or assaulted. Yet this is the reality of a working day for more than one in six workers. Bullying causes billions of dollars in lost productivity, expensive mistakes, employee replacement costs, and health and welfare rehabilitation expenses. Most workplaces currently have few resources and systems to deal with the problem, leaving the victims to sink or swim, and the bullies to remain professionally incompetent. Few understand that bullying is not tough management or an aggressive personality trait to be suffered. Severe and unremitting bullying catapults the victim into such a damaging emotional state that it can lead to the breakdown of their very survival mechanisms.
Bully Blocking at Work reveals for the first time the true evil nature of workplace bullying, helping the reader to understand its toxic, destructive impact on all employees - whether they are targets, bullies or onlookers - and provides advice for coping and confronting bullying, from both a personal and organisational perspective.
The author has worked as a psychologist for over thirty years and has spent many hours listening to clients, conducting interviews, reading, speaking and writing about workplace bullying. Sprinkled liberally throughout the pages are quotes from the many sufferers of bullying that the author has personally worked with over many years.
Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. What is workplace bullying?
Chapter 3. Understanding workplace bullying
Chapter 4. Conditions that encourage workplace bullying
Chapter 5. The Toxic effects of workplace bullying
Chapter 6. From target to survivor
Chapter 7. Activate your survival instinct
Chapter 8. Look after Yourself
Chapter 9. Bully blocking at work
Chapter 10. Beware the medico-legal hazards
Chapter 11. Action for organisations
"Australia's leading expert in bullying behaviour has combined years of clinical experience with meticulous research, to create an indispensable compendium on workplace bullying."
- Michael Carr-Gregg, Psychologist and best-selling author
"Evelyn Field's masterful analysis of the ways we can help employees cope with and overcome workplace bullying and harassment is a must read for all concerned about how to right this wrong."
- Dr Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University and author of The Lucifer Effect, Understanding How Good People Turn Evil