HHS: Workplace Bullying Is Like Domestic Violence

    "Bullying doesn't just happen on the playground;" so begins an article in an online Health and Human Services (HHS) publication called Let's Talk.  The HHS's Federal Occupational Health agency cites a recent study finding that more than a third of Americans report being bullied at work, though only 15% report having observed bullying in the workplace.  The newsletter is illustrated with this graphic:

    The article defines bullying as "aggressive, inappropriate, and unreasonable behavior," and says that bullying "[h]as many of the same characteristics of domestic violence – the abuser uses intimidation and manipulation to get what he or she wants."  "Typical" behaviors by a workplace bully cited in the article include: threats, intimidation, humiliation, exclusion from your peer group, and harassment.

    Although the study referenced is not notated in the article, a CareerBuilder study from August 2012 reports the 35% figure.  That study reported that the most common forms of bullying were:

· Falsely accused of mistakes – 42 percent
· Ignored – 39 percent
· Used different standards/policies toward me than other workers – 36 percent
· Constantly criticized – 33 percent
· Someone didn’t perform certain duties, which negatively impacted my work – 31 percent
· Yelled at by boss in front of coworkers – 28 percent
· Belittling comments were made about my work during meetings – 24 percent
· Gossiped about – 26 percent
· Someone stole credit for my work – 19 percent
· Purposely excluded from projects or meetings – 18 percent
· Picked on for personal attributes – 15 percent

    Although the HHS article compared workplace bullying to domestic violence, neither actual violence  or threats of physical harm appeared on the list of reported behaviors.

    The newsletter offers these tips on "working it out yourself":

• If you are being bullied and you don’t feel physically threatened, you can assert yourself by:
• Telling the person how their behavior is negatively impacting your work
• Setting boundaries – telling the person what types of behavior you will no longer tolerate
• Warning the person that there will be consequences if his or her inappropriate behavior continues

    Recently, a high-up Democratic official was quoted by Politico's Mike Allen as saying about the GOP relative to its opposition to the president over the funding of Obamacare: "It's time to punch the bully in his nose."  This response to bullying is not specifically included on the list of tips from HHS.


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

HHS eCards: Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, Stop Bullying

    As the full implementation of ObamaCare draws nearer, the federal government is pulling out all the stops.  Although the president has often professed a "laser-like" focus on creating jobs, much of the attention of the government seems to be centered not on the economic health of the country, but rather the literal health of its citizens. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website Healthfinder.gov even has a selection of over 100 eCards that can be sent to friends and family to encourage them to lose weight, quit smoking, get screened for various diseases, and even stop bullying.

    Some of the eCards are rather less than subtle.  For instance, one invites the recipient to "make a promise to eat well and move more."

    In case the reader is slow on the uptake, the next page removes all doubt about what the sender has in mind:

    HHS even offered a Father's Day card that went beyond the usual praise and admiration reserved for fathers on their special day and exhorted dads everywhere to "skip the salt" and "take the stairs instead of the elevator."

    Apparently nothing says "Happy Father's Day" like one's child sounding like one's mother.

    The cards do not stop at physical health, either.  There is an anti-bullying card that asks "What's the difference between teasing and bullying?  If we’re not sure, our kids probably aren’t either. Let’s talk about bullying – because all kids deserve a happy, safe childhood."

    It remains unclear from the card if the accompanying photo (above) is intended to represent teasing or bullying.

    To maximize the impact of the cards, the site helpfully informs visitors that they may "send these cards to a friend or loved one by returning to the previous page and entering up to ten (10) recipient names and email addresses."  This feature, however, produces some unlikely scenarios, such as simultaneously congratulating ten friends on recently announced pregnancies.  For some occasions, there's just no substitute for a hand-written note.


Note: A version of this article appeared first at The Weekly Standard.