Bullying in the workplace This case study will focus on the psychological and physical effects of bullying in the workplace both in person and through social media. Until recently, I feel like workplace bullying was seen as playful teasing. But now people are realizing that bullying is bullying and is unacceptable regardless of age or professional position. This bullying ruins people's lives and destroys their trust. People are driven to quit their jobs or even commit suicide due to this harassment. Workers' health isn't the only thing affected by workplace bullying. Companies suffer because their employees are preoccupied with other concerns and this makes them less productive. Unfortunately, there are currently no specific policies that address workplace bullying, but I believe that solid laws will be formulated soon. What is workplace bullying? What are the statistics? Workplace bullying can be a very gray area. What one person may see as harmless, playful teasing may not be so funny to another person. “Workplace bullying has been defined as 'the repeated, harmful, and health-threatening mistreatment of one employee (the Target) by one or more other employees (the bully, bullies)'. To be identified as bullying, the behavior must occur regularly, repeatedly and over a period of time” (Harthill). According to the Workplace Bullying Institute's national scientific surveys in 2007 and 2010, 35 percent of American adults report having been bullied at work. This is approximately 54 million workers (Work Doctor). “Workplace bullying is four times more common than illegal harassment” (Give Me), yet it is still technically legal. The United States is “the latest… paper society… to lose effective employees and accrue unnecessary additional costs. While there is no official law that specifically addresses workplace bullying yet, developments in the law are gaining momentum and hopefully this will lead to a federal law in the next decade or so. But until that happens, due to the serious effects of bullying on employers and employees, it would be wise for companies to take internal measures to address workplace bullying through zero-tolerance policies, training and counseling. Bullying is a health and safety issue and employers have a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of their workers. More importantly, it should be noted that bullying can only thrive in a work environment that tolerates it. This is why promoting a safe, trusting and healthy environment should be a priority in the workplace.