IS LITIGATION YOUR FINAL ANSWER? 687
An employee suffering from the stress and fatigue of
workplace bullying will generally become less productive and
efficient.^53 In turn, the employer could suffer direct, indirect,
and opportunity costs.^54 For example, employers may see a
significant increase in medical and workers’ compensation
claims due to work-related stress as well as increased legal fees
and settlement costs.^55 Other direct costs include hiring
temporary staff to fill in for those who call in sick or eventually
quit, the loss of ex-workers who take valuable company
knowledge with them, and additional expenses in recruitment
and training.^56 Moreover, an abusive environment may lead to
indirect costs for the employer by creating a general atmosphere
filled with “fear and mistrust, resentment, hostility, feelings of
humiliation, withdrawal, play-it-safe strategies, and hiding
mistakes.”^57 Other indirect costs could include high turnover
rates, poor customer service, frequent absenteeism, and acts of
sabotage and revenge.^58 Finally, an employer may incur
opportunity costs resulting from a worker’s disengagement and
disinterest.^59 For instance, a 2002 survey of 9,000 federal
employees revealed that workplace harassment over a two-year
period cost the U.S. government more than $180 million in lost
time and productivity.^60 Therefore, the effects of workplace
(^53) See Yamada, Status-Blind Hostile Work Environment, supra note 27,
at 483.
(^54) Id.
(^55) Id.
(^56) See Judith Lynn Fisher-Blando, Workplace Bullying: Aggressive
Behavior and Its Effect on Job Satisfaction and Productivity 8 (Feb. 2008)
(unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of Phx.) (citing A. NEEDHAM,
WORKPLACE BULLYING: THE COSTLY BUSINESS SECRET (2003)) (on file with
author).
(^57) Yamada, Status-Blind Hostile Work Environment, supra note 27, at
483–84 (quoting EMILY S. BASSMAN, ABUSE IN THE WORKPLACE:
MANAGEMENT REMEDIES AND BOTTOM LINE IMPACT 141 (1992)).
(^58) See id. at 484 (citing BASSMAN, supra note 57, at 142–44).
(^59) See id.
(^60) Workplace Bullying’s High Cost: $180 Million in Lost Time,
Productivity, ORLANDO BUS. J. (Mar. 18, 2002), http://www.biz
journals.com/orlando/stories/2002/03/18/focus1.html?page=all. Similarly,
another survey showed that workplace bullying led to reduced employee