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2010, the WBI and Zogby International (“WBI-Zogby”) released
a comprehensive survey measuring the prevalence of workplace
bullying in the United States.^47 Based on this online survey of
2,092 adults, approximately 53.5 million Americans, or thirty-
five percent of the workforce, have been bullied at work, and
fifty percent have been affected by workplace bullying either as
a Target or a witness to the behavior.^48 The WBI-Zogby survey
results reveal that workplace bullying is a pervasive phenomenon
with harmful effects that are widely felt by a large portion of the
American workforce.^49
B. Negative Consequences of Workplace Bullying for
Employees and EmployersWhen bullying exists in the workplace, it can have serious
economic, psychological, and emotional consequences for both
the employee and employer. Targets experience psychological
effects such as stress, depression, loss of sleep, and low self-
esteem, as well as feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment.^50
In more severe instances, they may develop posttraumatic stress
disorder, which, if left untreated, may cause an individual to
react violently against either the bully or another coworker.^51
Targets may also manifest physical symptoms, such as stress
headaches, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and even
reduced immunity to infection.^52
(^47) The survey asked respondents, “At work, what is your experience
with any or all of the following types of repeated mistreatment: sabotage by
others that prevented work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening
conduct, intimidation or humiliation?” U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey,
WORKPLACE BULLYING INST. 2 (2010), http://workplacebullying.org/multi/
pdf/WBI_2010_Natl_Survey.pdf.
(^48) Id. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. Id.
at 1.
(^49) See generally id.
(^50) NAMIE & NAMIE, BULLYPROOF YOURSELF, supra note 19, at 69.
(^51) See id. at 69–70; see also Leymann & Gustafsson, supra note 21, at
252–54 (discussing the diagnostic criteria and symptoms of posttraumatic
stress disorder).
(^52) NAMIE & NAMIE, BULLYPROOF YOURSELF, supra note 19, at 70.