The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization

Step 7: Get the Word Out

Now that it's time to implement the new Blueprint system, the sophistication and completeness of all internal communications about the project should mirror the details of the system itself. Do not make this large investment and not ensure that every employee knows what it is and how to access team services. Do not let this become a binder-buried initiative.

Education about the Policy and Procedures

A cadre of employees is trained to educate all employees using a short (90-minute to 3-hour) rollout module. The all-hands education covers the rationale for the policy, its key features, and procedures written by the policy-writing group for achieving informal solutions and handling formal complaints.

Announcement of Team Services

Volunteers who care about workplace bullying are the ideal group to conduct training and to engage in empathic listening to individuals who are not certain they have been bullied. These individuals can be trained to be more expert in the topic than other employees. Thus, they become the go-to team who can help colleagues.

A Shift in the Paradigm to an Employee Health Focus

It won't be easy to accomplish a culture change, because bullying is woven into the fabric of all capitalistic and militaristic organizations. It is not remarkable that bullying happens; for countless companies, it is simply “the way we do things here.” There is tremendous pressure to maintain the status quo. However, if you have read this far, you are optimistic ...