Bullying in the workplace is a serious issue, and while stopping bad employee behavior isn't typically one of the core CEO responsibilities, the leader of the company should also set the standard for ceasing intimidation and threats so everyone within the company feels safer. This blog has reported on this topic before, but there's another reason to fight bullying: doing so could save your business money.
This shouldn't be the only incentive for executives to stop overly aggressive employees, but it can help them see how much of an impact these members have on performance overall. Aside from the decrease in workplace safety, bullying leads to a decline in productivity because workers are less likely to stay focused on their work in a hostile environment.
In a piece for CIO, Gary Namie of the Workplace Bullying Institute mentioned the way that employee stress radiates outward.
"We have a fairly high threshold for the definition of bullying; we define it as repeated mistreatment and abusive conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, work sabotage or verbal abuse," Namie says. "Even so, we consider it something of an epidemic."
What can a CEO do? Harvard Business Review's coach Michele Woodward suggested in a recent webinar that confrontations and conversations with bullies, however difficult, are necessary to encourage change. CEOs could also make "small corrections" in response to each individual action as opposed to waiting until the performance review or an "official" meeting.
Target your executive recruitment process to find the perfect candidate who is going to take charge in these situations and implement change in an effective way. At the same time, they should make sure a person won't come across as too severe in their actions.
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