A Silent Crisis

NEA believes every adult deserves a safe place to work, just as every child deserves a safe place to learn.

Do you work with a bully? Do you regularly feel intimidated or dread being around a coworker who constantly yells at, insults,
and puts you down? Does that person talk over you at meetings, criticize you, or steal credit for your work? If your answer is
yes to any of these questions, chances are youre one of millions of Americans who has been attacked by a bully at work.

35% of workers have experienced bullying, and 15% have witnessed bullying.
Bosses comprise 72% of bullies.
More men (62%) are bullies, but 80% of female bullies target other women.
62% of employers ignore the problem, and
40% of employees targeted by a bully never tell their employer.
2012 Workplace Bullying Institute U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey

What is Workplace Bullying?

Fifty-four million Americans who have been attacked by a workplace bully prove bullying doesnt stop when childhood
endsbut shifts from the classroom to the cubicle, from the bus to the boardroom. Workplace bullying is the
repeated, health-harming mistreatment of a person that takes one or more forms:
Verbal abuse
Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) that are threatening,
humiliating, or intimidating
Work interferencesabotagethat
prevents work from getting done.
Subtle tactics of deceit, distortion,
misrepresentation, and misdirection
What Should You Know?
According to the NEAs Office of the General Counsel, there currently are no federal or state statutes that directly
address the unique behavior associated with workplace bullying (apart from bullying on the basis of a protected
characteristic, which is prohibited under existing civil rights laws).
Dallas ISD Board Policies on Workplace Bullying:
Employee Standards of Conduct - DH(LEGAL)
o http://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/361?filename=DH(LEGAL).pdf
Employee Standards of Conduct - DH(LOCAL)
o http://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/361?filename=DH(LOCAL).pdf
What can YOU Do?
The good news: bullying can be stopped! How you handle bullying will depend on your particular work environment
and the nature of the bullyingbut you can take action. If you, or a co-worker, are being bullied, the United Kingdom
National Workplace Bullying Advice Line suggests taking the following steps:

Workplace Bullying | A Silent Crisis

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1. Regain Control
Recognize what is happening to you as bullyingthe bully has the problem, which he or she is
projecting onto you.
Recognize that bullying is about control, and has nothing to do with your performance. Dont be
fooled into believing unfounded criticisms or allegations against you have any validity.
Dont try to handle bullying by yourself. For instance, if you feel intimidated by an administrator,
get help from your union representative.
2. Plan for Action
Find out everything you can about bullying before taking action. Read and digest the regularly
updated information on bullyonline.org, and check out the resources listed in this brochure.
3. Take Action
Keep a log (journal, diary) of everything related to the bullyingits not each incident that counts,
but the number, regularity, and especially the patterns that reveal bullying.
Get and keep everything in writing. Keep copies of all letters, memos, and emails.
Currently, there are no U.S. federal or state laws that offer protection against workplace bullying, but you can take
action today by supporting the Healthy Workplace Bill in your state. For information, resources, and activities, go to
www.healthyworkplacebill.org.
How Can Your ORGANIZATION Help You?
American workers believe that unions have a positive role to play in combating workplace bullying. By becoming an
active team with your organization, a positive impact can be made on this silent crisis. You have access to our office
where NEA-Dallas can assist you with helpful advice, writing rebuttals, and filing grievances. Actively collecting
documentation, such as correspondence, emails, journal entries, write-ups, rebuttals, evaluations, growth plans, and
any other pertinent information as it occurs, is very important. Always keep copies for your own records.
Workplace bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Workplace bullying is behavior
that harms, intimidates, offends, degrades, or humiliates an employee, possibly in front of other employees, clients,
or customers. It may cause the loss of trained and talented employees, reduce productivity and morale, and create
legal risks. We believe all employees should be able to work in an environment free of bullying. Managers and
supervisors must ensure employees are not bullied. We encourage all employees to report workplace bullying.

DH(LOCAL): While acting in the course and scope of their employment, employees shall not engage in
bullying. Bullying is a form of workplace aggression, which includes incivility, rudeness, and
discourteous verbal and non-verbal behaviors. The behavior is unrelated to the employers legitimate
business interests. The intent of the behavior is to demoralize, intimidate, and/or humiliate a person or
group. Bullying does not include the legitimate exercise of employee management, including assigning
tasks, coaching, and taking work-related disciplinary actions against an employee.
DGBA(LOCAL): Employees who believe they are being bullied may file a complaint by following the
complaint procedures outlined in DGBA(LOCAL).
Filing a Grievance: There are grievance and investigation procedures to deal with workplace bullying.
Below is a link to where you may find a Dallas ISD Grievance Form:
o http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/23316

NEA-Dallas | 6500 Greenville Avenue, Suite 520 | Dallas, Texas 75206 | (214) 821-2061 - office | (214) 821-0219 - fax