What is Workplace Abuse?
Workplace abuse (aka workplace bullying) encompasses both intentional and unwitting behaviors (words, gestures, images, actions, and failure to act) which, over time, humiliate, demoralize, or terrorize an employee or group of employees, undermine their targets’ credibility and effectiveness, and contribute to a disrespectful or hostile work environment. (Source)
Prevalence
According to recent studies, 13.8% of American employees are targeted for emotional and psychological abuse in the workplace every year. Over 60% of them either quit, get fired, transfer, or quit after things go from bad to worse for them. Considered by many workplace advocates to be the last form of abuse tolerated in our modern society, workplace abuse appears to be on the rise in most regions. (Source)
Presentation
Workplace abuse presents as verbal abuse, withholding information, aggression, overloading with work, intimidating, isolation, unfair evaluation, blocking opportunities for advancement, overly critical feedback, micromanaging, spreading gossip or rumors, undermining work, belittling or disrespectful comments, removal of responsibilities, false accusations, and/or sabotage.
Secondary Workplace Abuse
Employers direct employees to bring interpersonal problems to their supervisor or Human Resources. Sadly, in 95% of workplace abuse cases, targets are gaslighted and scapegoated by HR and/or their supervisor, causing them far greater trauma than the primary abuse itself. (Source) The nexus of employer liability, the psychic vulnerabilities of the HR investigator, and the Scapegoat Mechanism explains why.
Human Cost
Workplace abuse is known to cause depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, inability to work or concentrate, trouble making decisions, lower productivity, anger, emotional disconnect, C-PTSD, trust issues, self-doubt, shame, chronic pain, fatigue, unemployment, and a myriad of adverse physical, financial, relational, and spiritual effects for its victims, and has resulted in suicide for some. The human cost is incalculable.
Perspective
By all estimates, worldwide workplace abuse is a trillion-dollar problem.
Much more importantly, when workplace abuse is finally mitigated to the extent that it can be, the overall relief to human suffering will be equivalent to that experienced by the global population after the development and widespread release of penicillin.
According to ChatGPT, If successfully implemented, (a solution) could be transformative, reducing the incidence of mental health disorders by as much as 10-20% among working populations. (Source)
Calculate the annual cost of workplace abuse where you work.
Factors include:
- Total number of employees in your organization (Source)
- 13.78% – the prevalence of workplace abuse here in the U.S. (Source)
- ~70% – the # of workplace abuse cases that go unreported (Source)
- ~$92,400 – the average cost to the employer per reported workplace abuse case (Source)
- ~$40,000 – the average cost to the employer per unreported workplace abuse case (Source)
Follow legacy research that views the pathology of individual employees with mental illness as the leading cause (Source)
Consider employer liability and the Scapegoat Mechanism to be foundational to understanding workplace abuse
Develop cost-saving, ethical, open source, practical solutions for all organizations, large or small, private or public
Who am I?
I’m Chris Edward Jensen, former high school English teacher of twenty years turned clinical trials coordinator turned workplace abuse advocate, thought leader, and developer. The workplace abuse I experienced in 2019 was catastrophic. Today I’m committed to slaying the dragon that almost destroyed me.
To date, the half-measures developed by my counterparts have had little effect. Why? Because the organizational and social psychologists who have driven the Workplace Bullying conversation for the past three decades have minimized the significance of pathological and other manipulative employees, employer liability, and the Scapegoat Mechanism, three aspects that are necessary to understanding and confronting primary and secondary workplace abuse. Put another way, their aim is so far askew that their arrows will never hit the target.
Unfettered by ideology, my single aim for Workplace Omega is to provide stakeholders worldwide with final solutions to workplace abuse. Ω
And now, a word from my mentor, the world’s most influential and well-respected advocate for targets and survivors of workplace abuse, regarding my work:
– Dr. Gary Namie, Co-Founder and Director of the Workplace Bullying Institute
To Potential Collaborators
I am currently reaching out to key stakeholders who have the reach, the resources, and the fire-in-the-belly to work together to confront workplace abuse once-and-for-all.
I’m also recruiting fellow professionals with experience in corporate training and graphic design to help me flesh out my developments.
If you understand the complexities of workplace abuse as I do, and you’re in a position to help, please reach out.