Bullying causes dropout: it affects your entire team!

When I hear the word bullying, I immediately think of primary school, as it sounds very childish to me. But if you look at the consequences for your organization, it suddenly isn’t so childish anymore. Frequent absenteeism, reduced productivity, higher staff turnover, and reputational damage—‘you don’t want to work at that company’—cost you as an employer a lot of money. So don’t underestimate bullying!

By Myrtille van Hout

Consequences of bullying
Bullying is a broad concept. It happens verbally, non-verbally, and physically, openly and covertly. Think, for example, of gossiping, mocking, belittling remarks, and crude jokes. But also constant criticism, intimidation, sabotage, and isolating the same person all fall under bullying. If an employee feels uncomfortable at work due to a colleague’s bullying behavior, this affects not only their performance but also their health. The psychological pressure can lead to work-related stress, also known as psychosocial workload (PSA), which is one of the main occupational risks.

Make bullying discussable
Bullying at work falls under the Working Conditions Act; as an employer, you must protect your employees against it. But how do you recognize it? It often happens in the same way as on the schoolyard: there is a bully, a large group of followers, and the bullied person. The teacher—read employer or manager—does nothing about it. The consequences can be very serious, so we advise you to pay attention to it. Make bullying a topic of discussion within your organization.

The difference between teasing and bullying
But where is the line between teasing and bullying? Teasing is playful and light-hearted, and a joke is never meant to hurt someone. Bullying, on the other hand, is negative and intentional. The bully wants to intimidate and exert power. It is repeated behavior intended to hurt and humiliate someone. Stay alert; bullying happens everywhere. Research shows that 23% of employees have experienced bullying in the workplace. So if performance drops, someone calls in sick more often, or has a negative attitude during a performance review, don’t be naïve and investigate what’s really going on.

Anti-bullying policy
To make bullying discussable, you could start with an anti-bullying policy. Set out behavioral rules, for example, agreeing that colleagues do not look away when someone is being bullied, as that is the largest group. That they don’t laugh along at unpleasant jokes and instead include the bullied person in Friday afternoon drinks or team outings. For someone who doesn’t feel safe at work, it is very difficult to step forward and stand up for themselves. That’s why you should also address it during performance reviews; ask whether bullying occurs in the team, because there are always things you don’t see. If your employee develops a fear of going to work, you can be sure that sooner or later they will drop out. Bullying is therefore not only a problem for the bullied person, but it can become a problem for the whole team, including the followers.

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