Yes, as bizarre as that might sound, it is actually true. Bullying does more harm than “just” adversely impacting the self-esteem of the victim. The bully himself/herself has a lot to lose as well. It’s workplace bullying that hurts the most. Bullying your employee might as well give you the psychological (read sadistic) edge over your victim, but you’ll end up garnering losses in more ways than you can imagine.
As per reports, some 25- 50% of the workforce has been subjected to bullying and that is no good news for the employers as well. And, let us tell you that verbal abuse is not the only form of subjugation we’re talking about. Sabotage, intimidation, and humiliation are all part of the ballgame. Here is how you end up being at the receiving end of your finances if you’re a bully.
It affects your employee turnover
As per a report in noworkplacebullies.com, 30% of the employees who have been bullied in some way or the other will go on to leave their jobs. Higher attrition rates are directly proportional to higher company costs in terms of recruitment and training new staff. What more? An overall intimidating ambiance is in no way conducive to productivity.
Undesirable productivity
Speaking about reduced productivity- let us tell you that your workers are not able to deliver in typically high-pressure environments. And by “high pressure” we don’t exactly mean deadlines or rigorous work hours. An employee will be willingly taking up these challenges if he/she is provided with a general congenial corporate environment. Bullying makes matters worse. Imagine yourself braving the weird working hours constantly under the fear of being verbally bashed by your boss in case of even a minor mistake. Collaboration, not unnecessary dominance, is key to entrepreneurial success. Instead of humiliating employees at the drop of a hat, try to shore up your troubleshooting skills and guide your employees accordingly as well.
It increases employee stress
High-stress situations at the office can often lead to a major time drain as well. Employees might call in sick or extend their medical leaves just because they want to avoid the abusive vibes at the workplace. And that’s certainly not good news for employers.
The figures are a horrific testimony to the loss of time that workplace bullying entails. The largest commercial insurance organization in the United Kingdom – Royal & Sun Alliance has actually indicated that workplace bullying has cost their business a whopping 18 billion British pounds.
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