Think you've got a bully in your midst?
Suffering disproportionate turnover across divisions or workteams?
One or two troublemakers behind the disruption and emotional turmoil?
You know this all, but until now have not acted to stop it.
It's time to act.
People have complained, but the harassment is not necessarily illegal. Legal, EEO-driven, definitions of harassment require that the harassed be a member of a "protected-status group" AND the harasser not enjoy protected group status. That is, civil rights protections are based on gender, race, age, disability or religion.
The majority of complaints filed are not based on discrimination required by state and federal law and your internal anti-discrimination policies. In fact, general harassment, aka bullying, is 3 times more prevalent. EEO specialists, without credentials like ours, also are helpless to counter bullying-related problems.
The shenanigans have disrupted productivity or profitability and you cannot afford to wait any longer. Complainants deserve justice and you need to know whether or not the allegations are true. [A 2005 study published in the Archives in Internal Medicine found that when employees believe their employer treats them unjustly, the risk of heart disease increases by 30%. Can you afford injustice to continue?]
Without illegality or policy violations, it is difficult to act. But you now are authorized to investigate. The organization deserves to put the bullying in the past. It can't afford to ignore the complaints any longer.
Because of the novelty posed by this type of complaint, you are uncertain how to proceed.
We can help. The fact-finding techniques we teach your internal experts will uncover bullying that others fail to recognize. As the specialists in bullying and its many covert forms, we teach clients to not get distracted by shrewd bullies who trick traditional investigators. Instead, we coach employer representatives to ask the right questions of the right people.
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Note: we are not attorneys. In either case, the non-EEO complaint rarely involves legalities. As a responsible executive, you need to do more than merely dodge litigation risk. You have to restore trust and morale among staff. You need to restore productivity. You need to embody the organization's Mission, Vision and Values. As veteran organizational consultants, we understand what it takes.
A fair and credible investigation with explicit remedies designed to reverse the injustices is not best accomplished by legal eagles.
How Work Doctor can help:
Our consultants will coach internal investigators responding to complaints alleging mistreatment that disrupts work. We bring forensic experience as well as extensive knowledge about organizational behavior coupled with an unmatched expertise in conduct exhibited by perpetrator, complainants and witnesses. Employers and their representatives are ultimately responsible for correcting identified problems and holding confirmed offenders accountable. Work Doctor coaches and trains designated fact finders; we do not gather information nor make action recommendations.
Stop waiting. Investigate now for the sake of the complainants and the organization. Bullies are too expensive to keep!
This service is most effective when integrated with other key services in Work Doctor's Blueprint Program.
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