Our consultants are often called into companies to help leaders with bullying styles to improve their communication style, thus salvaging their jobs and improving the organization.

Did you know:

-          78% of bullies are senior to the people they target

-          Bullies were often bullied as children

-          People who bully often don’t realize the extent to which their behavior impacts others because people are afraid to tell them

-          Bullies are usually fragile people who use aggression to protect themselves emotionally by keeping other people and their feedback at bay

But we have good news!  Because our consultants are psychologically trained (at an M.A. or doctoral level) and attuned to the complexities of human behavior, they are able to help bullying leaders understand their impact and shift their styles into more respectful approaches.

Take Mary.  She is a senior member of a Leadership Team.  Her style alienated and scared others, so much so that people were avoiding her or going behind her back to get things done.   We started working with Mary to raise her self-awareness, become empathetic to others (no small task), accept that her style was offensive and counter-productive and learn new effective approaches to interacting and leading others.  Today Mary is a star performer at an organization that was ready to terminate her because of the damage and risk she was creating to the company.

Our Leading with Respect Bootcamp is an alternative to direct coaching.  Accessed online it allows individuals to become more self-aware as well as learn the crucial skills to effective leadership.  Contact us today for more information. –

Is your organization welcoming to persons with disabilities?  The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service became law on January 1, 2012.  By December 31, 2012 all Ontario companies must create a Plan to address these standards and are required to Train their employees, with records of training.
In addition to providing exceptional customer service to persons with disabilities, there is a strong business case to be made for meeting the new standards.
Did you know…
- 1.8 million (or 1 in 7) Ontarians have a disability?
- 1.03 million people with disabilities in Ontario can work?
- By year 2025, 1 in 5 Ontarians will be 65 years or older?
That means an increasing number of customers with disabilities will be using your company’s programs, services and information.
We are pleased to introduce our “Helping Hands Guidebook:  Creating Accessible Standards for Customer Service,” along with our Employee Training Webinar and Leadership Training Webinar.  The Helping Hands Guidebook provides a simple step by step resource containing Policy and Plan Templates, required Notice of Disruption of Services and Feedback templates.  It also offers skills training and information when providing customer service to persons with disabilities.
Here is a Helping Hands tip:  People are not defined by their disabilities.  Always consider the person first and seek to understand them, their concerns, their needs and their contributions.
Contact us today for more information!

In the nine months following the enactment of the Occupational Health and Safety Act: Violence and Harassment in the Workplace (formerly Bill 168) 1,100 Ontario workplaces have been charged with violations.

Companies who originally addressed the legislation with simple compliance “tool box” responses are now coming back to us because they don’t know how to deal with the complex issues arising from these “interpersonal hazards” to workplace safety.

Harassment is defined as “vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.”  The challenge for employers is that this definition is broad and open to interpretation.  What one employee may find “vexatious” (aggravating, offensive) another may not.

But some harassing behaviours are clear and unacceptable.  Yelling, swearing, demeaning comments, public humiliation, threats…they are all considered harassment under the legislation.

Another challenge being faced by employers is how to hold bullying employees accountable, and how to support them to change their behaviour into a more respectful approach.  Our training programs help employers provide the skills necessary to educate, coach, train and hold accountable all employees so that the workplace is psychologically safe and free from the damage and fallout created by bullying, harassment and violence.

A manager recently shared his frustration about a new employee who was not reading the orientation manual provided by the company. Instead the employee kept asking HR and the manager for clarifying information about mission and values, organizational priorities, targets, structure as well as benefits packages. Everyone was getting frustrated, including the new employee.

Research has shown that 75% of new employees do not complete an orientation program. Traditional On-Boarding programs are often tedious, time consuming, labor intensive and uninspiring.

Other problems include:

- No tracking of employee understanding
- Materials may not be comprehensive, can be complicated or confusing
- Leaders lose valuable time orienting new hires

I shared with this manager how an interactive web-based On-Boarding program engages new employees, eliminates leadership training time, tracks understanding and notifies managers of completion.

At Bizassessments we are excited to be able to provide our clients with the platform and ability to customize your On-Boarding materials into an e-learning system new employees can access at the click of a button, 24 hours a day from any location.

The benefits are enormous. Your new hires will hit the ground running. They will be immediately up to date on your policies, procedures, programs and benefits. They will understand the mission and values of your organization. And they will enjoy the experience!

Contact us at info@bizassessments.com to learn more.

We have a vision…

That every person will wake up in the morning and go to a workplace where they feel safe, respected and valued

Where they will be fairly treated and compensated for the work they do with the opportunity to grow and reach their potential, if they so choose

Where companies understand the relationship between treating workers well and results

Where results are obtained through respectful treatment not intimidation, harassment and manipulation

Where the same standards of behaviour and performance are applied to everyone regardless of their rank

Where conflicts are resolved with integrity, wisdom and diplomacy, protecting the dignity and safety of others

Our Mission is to assist and support workers and the companies they work for to embrace this dream and make it a reality in their workplaces.

May 2012 be a healthy and prosperous one for you and your families.

One in five Canadians will experience a mental health challenge at some point in their work career. The Conference Board of Canada recently conducted research on the prevalence of mental health issues in Canadian workplaces and of those surveyed nearly half (44 per cent) reported that they were either currently experiencing or had previously experienced such an issue.

The direct and indirect costs to the Canadian economy of mental health and addiction are now estimated at almost $30 billion!

Yet mental health issues still have a stigma in society and particularly in the workplace. The research finds that most employees would be uncomfortable disclosing a mental health issue to anyone in the workplace for fear that it would affect their career opportunities within the organization.

And this fear is not unfounded. The display of “weakness”, especially mentally or emotionally, is frowned upon and career advancement can be sabotaged if issues like anxiety, depression or other mental health issues are suspected.

Emotions are not enemies to be shunned or shut away. They surface to let us know that something important is going on in our lives and we need to pay attention to what these emotions or symptoms are telling us. If we acknowledge them then we can deal with the issues influencing them in an effective and proactive way.

In business “mental health issues” can often be attributed to interpersonal conflict in the workplace. For example, if we believe we are being bullied we may feel anxiety or fear. If we are unable to resolve issues with someone this can lead to frustration, anger or withdrawal. Preventing mental health issues by learning the skills to manage these communication issues helps us regain a sense of personal control and decrease anxiety, anger and fear.

Why are employees afraid to report bullying and harassment? Statistics reveal that nearly 80% of workplace bullies are senior to the people they bully. So it is no wonder that people are afraid to report them. And rightfully so. Reporting a senior person puts an individual’s career at risk. Most people who report bullying by senior people lose or leave their job.

So what can you do if you are being bullied or harassed in your workplace? The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act: Violence and Harassment in the Workplace states that you have the right to be employed in an environment free from harassment, bullying and violence. Ask your employer to see a copy of their (Bill 168) OHSA Harassment and Violence Policies. Find out your employer’s position with regard to these issues because they must be in compliance with the legislation.

The HEART™ program (www.heartprogram.com) explains all aspects of the legislation as well as the employee and employer’s rights, responsibilities and obligations under the Act. Contact us today to find out all the details you need to experience a safer, harassment free workplace. info@bizassessments.com

Did you know that 78% of organizational bullies are senior to the people they harass? This means that most employees either leave their jobs or say nothing and suffer the stress and anxiety of dealing with an intimidating leader on a daily basis.

The results are concerning. Sick leave escalates. Productivity suffers. Corporate image is tarnished.

Dealing effectively with workplace bullies is challenging. Often the communication strategies they employ make it difficult to hold them accountable. When confronted bullies can use manipulative ploys such as attacking, arguing, denying, blaming and in worst cases, threatening. But they must be dealt with or the organization will pay a stiff price in staff turnover, lack of employee engagement and even litigation.

There are effective ways to deal with the resistance bullies put up when confronted. Our method includes:
1) Identifying the Ploy
2) Communicating the Impact
3) Articulating the expected Behavior
4) Outlining Consequences

This approach must be supported by 360 assessment feedback, coaching by a psychologically skilled clinician, training and re-assessment.

My next blog will provide more solutions for managing the workplace leader who is a bully.

Bullies are costing your workplace an absolute fortune. Organizations are not seeing the relationship between workplace bullying/interpersonal problems and decline in work quality, staff turnover, disability leave, litigation and tarnished corporate image, to name a few. Here are some chilling statistics:

Research by Sheehan states that workplace bullying is responsible for:
• 83% of staff turnover
• 87% of absenteeism
• 21%-58% of reduced efficiency
• 19%-28% decline in work quality
• Is the cause of 18% of employee reasons for seeking counselling

Sheehan goes on to say that bullying is responsible for:
• 10% of employee grievances or mediations
• 10% increase in employee error
• 10% of an organization’s profit margin

In the US work related absenteeism accounts for $6 billion and is associated with reduced productivity that is caused by real or perceived workplace abuse (Adams).

In America more than 500,000 workers have missed an average of 1.75 million days of work per year as a result of workplace bullying (Middleton-Moz and Zawadski).

I have witnessed the fallout and cost of workplace bullying on individuals as well as businesses and I am struck by the lack of education and knowledge within organizations on how to prevent, manage and respond to these issues. A safe corporate culture is at the foundation of a successful, profitable business that is not compromising its bottom line by overlooking the profound impact of psychological hazards in the workplace.

When employees are bullied at best they show up to work anxious and preoccupied about what they may encounter in the course of a work day. This inhibits their creativity, concentration and confidence and creates a culture where they are most likely to do their job with an attitude of being unseen and unheard for self protection.

Recruiting the best talent has become the mantra of the day. But if that talent is brought into a corporate culture where they cannot express their best contributions out of fear that they are putting themselves at risk for attack, all the money invested in recruitment is also going down the drain.

Too often I witness well-intentioned senior executives who believe they can address bullying/interpersonal issues by having a stern conversation and assuming all is well. This is symptomatic of an over-valuing of their influence and control while overlooking the broad, entrenched and complex dynamics and injuries occurring under the surface that require intervention on a much broader scale.

When serious bullies are high performers organizations are faced with a difficult challenge. On one hand the bully is costing them money in the areas quoted above due to fallout from their behaviour. On the other hand to dismiss these bullies can also be costly in terms of packaging them out and the loss of the contributions they do make to the organization.

Companies are not aware of programs that can rehabilitate the workplace bully. The complexity of understanding bullying may cause organizations to turn a blind eye and look at superficial short term solutions that are ineffective. It seems to me this attitude is costing companies way too much.

What is bullying costing you and/or your company? We want to hear from you.

Bullying and harassment are workplace problems affecting almost half of all workers, according to a 2007 study conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute.  Bullying, violence and harassment in the workplace take a huge toll on profits due to disability/stress leave, staff turnover, loss of productivity and lawsuits.  According to Statistics Canada, the cost of employee absence due to these issues is up to $12 billion a year.

There is a direct link between how employees are treated and how they perform.  Bizassessments Harassment Education Advisory Response Team (HEART) program provides employers with everything they need to create a safe, respectful and profitable workplace.

Our latest initiative is our Leading with Respect Bootcamp.  Bullying employees who are otherwise good performers engage in an eight-week intensive education course, offered in our virtual classroom to ensure confidentiality and anonymity.  Facilitated by psychologically trained consultants, participants are given a Respectful Leadership 360 assessment at the beginning of bootcamp and six weeks following, to identify areas of development and celebrate successes.

To review the entire program and sign up for our Fall session, please follow this link: http://www.bizassessments.com/?page_id=12#respect.