With workplace bullying costing the UK economy nearly £18bn a year, according to Acas, dealing with online employee bullying is an important issue for companies.
We all remember bullying in the playground and the dreadful effects it can have.
Unfortunately, bullying is also alive and well in the workplace.
A 2014 study by VitalSmarts found that a stunning 96% of respondents had experienced or witnessed firsthand, bullying at the workplace. The digital aspect of modern workplaces provides plenty of opportunities for bullying and harassment in a new dimension – online.
The Cost of Workplace Bullying
Bullying in the workplace can have a serious negative impact for companies:
- Increased Staff Turnover Rate
- Extra Hiring and Retraining Costs
- Negative Impact on Employee Health
- High Staff Absenteeism and Sick Leave
- Decreased Productivity
- Bad Company Culture and Morale
- Impact on the Bottom Line
- Lawsuits or Claims From Victims
Most victims eventually choose to leave a workplace where they are being bullied.
Many suffer from a range of health issues, including anxiety, stress and loss of concentration.
A victim of bullying will endure an aggressive environment for just 23 months before leaving, according to a 2003 Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute study.
The effect of bullying costs businesses time and money: bullying accounted for seven or more hours of work time lost a week for 20% of VitalSmart’s survey responders, equal to $8,800 in lost wages annually.
These figures don’t begin to account for the massive indirect turnover costs, which correlate to the salary value of the leaving employees who must be replaced.
Victims Keep Silent
Despite company’s anti-harassment policies and EEOC legislation to curb workplace harassment and bullying in US, very few cases are reported.
While 51% of people surveyed by VitalSmart said their company had a policy for dealing with bullies, only 7% knew of anyone who has ever used that policy.
How to Expose Bullying
With so few victims willing to come forwards, one of the best ways to expose bullying is to monitor employees in the workplace.
Employee monitoring software, such as KnowIT, can help managers see when bullying is happening even when victims won’t talk.
With employee monitoring software, you’ll be able to see (among many other features):
- Employee Communications (webmail, instant messaging)
- Internet Use
- Social Media Use
- Keystroke Records
If online bullying of employees is happening in your workplace, you’ll be able to monitor who is bullying and who is the victim through easy to use and easy to understand reports based upon employee activity. Keystroke records will allow you to see exactly what has been typed and on-demand screenshots can help you capture instances where bullying is happening.
Tell us what you think!
Have you or a coworker been a victim of cyberbullying? Do you feel that employee monitoring software would have prevented it? Let us know in the comments section below!