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Mild Bullying

Mild bullying behaviors fall on the harsher side of disrespect, and they are aimed directly at another person or persons. Mild bullying behaviors targeted at another individual can escalate into intimidating behavior and more severe bullying.

Specific Actions Associated with Mild Bullying

Examples of behavior that indicate mild bullying include:

  • Regularly ignore by not responding to or acknowledging another when greeting him/her (different from not initiating a greeting)
  • Ignore communications or requests for information or assistance
  • Dismissive interpersonal communications (shut down a conversation and not allow the other person to communicate his/her perspective)
  • Impatient with another; not allowing time for two-way communication; creating a sense of power differential
  • Assigning blame without giving the person the opportunity to share his/her perspective
  • Disregard satisfactory or exemplary quality of completed work despite evidence
  • Periodic “oversights” of leaving a person out of communications (including email)
  • Periodic “oversights” of excluding a person from social situations that would typically be inclusive; recruit others to do the same
  • Delaying information that subsequently results in impossible demands
  • Sharing inappropriate information about another; leaving out information about another that casts him/her in poor favor
  • Trying to intimidate and control another through interruptions, contradictions, silent treatment
  • Ridicule, insult, play jokes on another person
  • Making up rules for others on the fly that the bully does not follow
  • Assigning tasks that are below another’s ability
  • Limited insight to treatment of others; not aware of how others experience bully’s interactions

Johns Hopkins Continuum of Disruptive Behaviors at Work

Behaviors of Concern Begin
Early Identification of Safety Concerns
Higher Risk for Workplace Violence, Despair, Suicide
Behaviors of Concern

Inappropriate Behaviors

Inappropriate behavior is often seen as the way a person “broadcasts” him or herself. When inappropriate behavior is not managed, one may push the limits and become disruptive. Some specific actions include: making rude, loud, and off-colored remarks, telling degrading jokes, and swearing in public.

Behaviors of Concern

Disrespectful and Rude Behavior

Disrespectful behavior is more hostile than inappropriate behavior and is usually aimed directly at another person. Some specific actions include: criticizing or dismissing achievements, degrading others, and shouting.

Early Identification of Safety Concern

Mild Bullying

Johns Hopkins has defined workplace bullying as repeated mistreatment of a person that may result in harm to one’s health and that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse; offensive conduct/behaviors that are threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; or interference that prevents work from getting done.

Mild bullying includes the behaviors defined above which are aimed directly at another person. Some specific actions are denying access to necessary information, creating isolation, and giving the silent treatment.

Early Identification of Safety Concern

Moderate to Severe Bullying

Johns Hopkins has defined workplace bullying as repeated mistreatment of a person that may result in harm to one’s health and that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse; offensive conduct/behaviors that are threatening, intimidating, or humiliating; or interference that prevents work from getting done.

Moderate to severe bullying includes the behaviors of mild bullying with increased frequency and personalization of mistreatment. Some specific actions are starting gossip campaigns about a person’s character, falsely accusing someone of errors, imposing impossible deadlines, and retaliating for perceived wrongs.

High Risk Behaviors

Stalking

Stalking involves individuals who harass, follow, or give unwanted attention and gifts. Specific actions include: a pattern of repeated unwanted, intrusive, and frightening communication by phone, email, text, or social media.

High Risk Behaviors

Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence

Domestic/intimate partner violence occurs when one partner uses physical violence, intimidation, threats, or emotional, sexual, or economic abuse to control the other partner.  Because the controlling partner can easily locate the victim at work, domestic violence can create a workplace safety concern.

High Risk Behaviors

Stated Threats

Stated threats express an emotional, sexual, psychological, or economic message of future danger. Specific actions include: a direct threat – I’m going to kill you; an indirect threat – I’m going to make sure that you get what you deserve; or a conditional threat – If he fires me, I will kill him.

High Risk Behaviors

Physical Violence

Violence is any action that threatens the safety of employees, residents, students, or patients; impacts their physical or psychological well-being; or causes damage to the institutions’ property.

High Risk Behaviors

Serious Injury and Harm

Serious injury and harm can involve the use of weapons, necessary medical attention, and homicide.

Development of the Continuum and Actions Associated with Behaviors

Informed by workplace bullying research, Safe at Hopkins examined risk-oriented conduct to define precipitating behaviors across a spectrum. This work led to the Johns Hopkins Continuum of Disruptive Behaviors at Work, which anchors the early intervention work of Safe at Hopkins. Examples for each category of disruptive behavior emerged as part of ongoing research on disruptive behaviors at work.

 

Modified from The Continuum of Negative Interpersonal Behavior, The Bully-Free Workplace, 2011, Gary Namie, PhD