A Call to Stop Workplace Bullying

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Oct. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week is a national event, held for the fifth year, sponsored by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), California Healthy Workplace Advocates, and 35 other states. Freedom Week is the chance to break through the shame and silence surrounding workplace bullying and to increase awareness about this silent epidemic.

Workplace Bullying is defined as repeated, health-harming mistreatment which interferes with the normal flow of work. According to the latest scientific WBI-Zogby national survey, 35% of adult Americans (that is 53.5 million workers) experience bullying at work firsthand. Damages include harm to employee health and job loss. Employers suffer lost productivity, low morale, and heavy costs to their bottom line.

In 2012, fifty-five California cities and counties proclaimed the 3^rd week of October as “Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week.” The primary reason bullying occurs so frequently in workplaces is that bullying is not yet illegal, yet bullying is four times more common than sexual harassment or racial discrimination on the job. It’s time employers stop their preventable losses.

We implore you to help raise awareness at the local level by participating in Freedom from Workplace Bullying week, Oct. 20th -26th so we can encourage our State lawmakers to introduce the Healthy Workplace Bill. We need a law that will correct and prevent bullying in the workplace because we all deserve a Bully-Free Workplace.  Simply said, it’s the right thing to do.

California Healthy Workplace Advocates (CHWA)  bullyfreeworkplace.org

Workplace Bullying Institute  (WBI)  workplacebullying.org