Welcome!

The word “intimidation” by definition is “to frighten someone into doing or not doing something, e.g. by means of violence or blackmail.”  To take it a bit further, another word to describe intimidate is “daunt” which means to “create a feeling of fear, awe, or  inadequacy in another person.”

Workplace intimidation does exactly all of the above.  The person doing the intimidating  is making others feel inadequate, unsure of themselves, fearful, and often times to the extent of causing physical damage  through illness and emotional injury,  mental breakdowns and severe depression.

People who use workplace intimidation, also called workplace  bullies, are generally those who are unsure of themselves, are depressed and are always looking for something that someone else has.

For instance, if you are praised at work for your accomplishments, the bully will use certain methods of workplace intimidation to work on you and over time make you feel inadequate. Their goal is to take the attention away from you where they will then take the credit for your  ideas and your work in front of others.

The Reasoning Behind This Website:

One of the reasons this site has been created is  to bring awareness  to the public of the problem regarding workplace intimidation and bullying.  Thousands of people, (37% of the U.S. workforce report being bullied at work) have experienced some degree of bullying or mobbing that has left many debilitated and unable to function

This site is dedicated to those of you who have been through this workplace intimidation and to all the others who are experiencing it presently.  It is also dedicated to those who have gone before us, men like Tim Field,  author of “Bully in Sight” and Peter Frost, author of “Toxic Emotions at Work” both of whom have since passed away, but not before sharing and teaching us what workplace intimidation and bullying is and how to recognize when it’s happening.

First of all, please understand:

#1 you are not alone in this

And secondly:

#2 you did not cause the bullying

Gary Namie, Ph.D. founder of Workplace Bullying Institute, Bellingham, WA,  and author of “Bully at Work”, defines bullying like this:

Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:

-Verbal abuse.
-Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening or humiliating. Workplace Intimidation.
-Work interference — sabotage — which prevents work from getting done.

Are Bullies at Work an Increasing Problem?

Over the past twenty years, bullies at work have begun to receive the same kind of noteriety that schoolyard bullying has been having for years. Perhaps it’s the same dynamics, for people whose personality development has been fostered since their childhood.

Interestingly enough, researchers have found that 16 to 21 percent of employees experience health-endangering bullying at work and that it’s four times greater than sexual harassment reports. (Yamada, 2008)

These statistics (16 to 21 percent) are very similar to the statistics for personality disorders in society (approximately 15-17%). Since bullies at work also have enduring patterns of dysfunctional behavior, many of them may have personality disorders which leads to workplace intimidation. Research on family violence shows a strong connection between ongoing domestic abuse and personality disorders. (Dutton, 2007)

It should also be noted that the rise of this problem in the workplace seems to have paralleled the increase in personality disorders in our society. These people can’t seem to stop themselves and a lot of organizations seem to tolerate them. With the increase in self-centeredness and decrease in empathy, we can expect to see more bullies at work as a problem in the future.

Bullying escalates to involve others who side with the bully, either voluntarily or by coercion.

This workplace intimidation is very serious stuff that can severly affect a company’s performance and even it’s longevity. Left untreated, this bullying behavior has been known to drive good partnerships apart and ultimately cause  businesses to close down forever.

So come on in, relax with your favorite beverage and browse through this site to learn more about bullying, and how to recongnize it, and find solutions. On the Resource page you’ll find other websites to visit and suggestions on books that might be helpful.