Workplace Bullying in American Organizations: The Path from Recognition to Prohibition

Abstract

Incidents of workplace bullying are on the rise in the American workplace. Researchers have compared recent concerns about bullying to those expressed about sexual harassment twenty years ago. Statistically, though, bullying occurs far more often than does sexual harassment; in fact, the U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey (2007) reported that bullying is four times as prevalent as illegal, discriminatory harassment. This paper explores the evolution of employee legal rights in American organizations, with a specific focus on parallels between the serious organizational problems of workplace bullying and sexual harassment. It also examines the legal, legislative and policy protections currently available to employees both in the United States and internationally, proposed systemic changes, as well as likely prospects for change in the immediate future.