Bullies are not just on the playground. They have infiltrated the workplace. What is workplace bullying? The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries provides a clear and comprehensive definition: “a pattern of behavior that harms, intimidates, undermines, offends, degrades or humiliates an employee, possibly in front of other employees, clients or customers.” (https://bit.ly/3BTrJ1y).

Of course, workplace bullies are not limited to employers and co-workers. In the legal field, other counsel, court staff, and clients can also be bullies. Bullying is obviously harmful to the victims, but it also negatively affects the legal profession and our work product.

If you are questioning the existence of workplace bullying perhaps you have been lucky and never experienced it or witnessed it. Maybe you did not recognize the behaviors as bullying. Alternatively, could you possibly be condoning the behavior or be the bully yourself?

Regardless of your personal beliefs on workplace bullying, it exists. In fact, a Law360 article reported that nearly a quarter of Illinois attorneys who responded to a large-scale survey sent on behalf of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism reported being bullied at work within the last year. “Bullying In Law Is Pervasive, Drives Turnover, Ill. Attys Say,” Law360, Oct. 2, 2024. That survey, conducted by The Red Bee Group, defined bullying behavior as “inappropriate behavior intended to intimidate, humiliate or control the actions of another person, including verbal, nonverbal or physical acts.” Id.

Additionally, the Harvard Business Review reported in 2022 that about 30% of the general workforce are bullied at work; the authors also identify the different types of workplace bullying, workplace bullying myths, ineffective interventions, and how to create a safer workplace. Ludmila N. Praslova, Ron Carucci, and Caroline Stokes, “How Bullying Manifests at Work — and How to Stop It,” Harvard Business Review, Nov. 4, 2022 (https://bit.ly/3PyIjGY).

So how does workplace bullying in the legal profession hurt your bottom line? It reduces productivity, creates ineffective teams, and limits staffing and succession planning. An additional concern, not addressed in this article, is the risk of bullying exposing your firm/company to liability.

Read the complete article on Westlaw Today here.