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, nearly 14% 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. (Source) Nearly 8.5% of the American workforce is lost every year to workplace abuse, making this problem the single greatest threat to your organization.
Presentation
Workplace abuse presents as isolation and deliberate exclusion, false accusations, sabotage, intimidation and aggressive behavior, verbal abuse and belittling comments, blocking advancement opportunities, unfair evaluation, undermining work, spreading gossip / rumors, withholding information, overly critical feedback, micromanaging, overloading with work, and / or removal of responsibilities.
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 myriad adverse physical, financial, relational, and spiritual effects for its victims, and has resulted in suicide for some. The human cost is incalculable.
What is Systemic Workplace Abuse?
In 2025, I discovered a Catch-22 that explains why targets of workplace abuse typically experience – in the form of gaslighting and scapegoating – secondary abuse by their employer. Examine the five drivers of systemic workplace abuse for yourself:
Misunderstood Motives of Abusers
Figuring for those suffering with undiagnosed and untreated narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders, as well as those who present with dark tetrad traits, no fewer than 10% of the American workforce present with toxic behaviors.
The Dilemma of Employer Liability
Were employers to validate the lived experience of targets of workplace abuse, targets would then have everything they need to successfully sue their employer for damages. To mitigate liability, employers must scapegoat victims.
The Scapegoat Mechanism
According to the late social theorist René Girard, every group needs a scapegoat. In this context, more often than not, employers pin the blame for any and all workplace abuse onto targeted employees, causing greater harm than the primary abuse.
Sham and Biased Investigations
Most survivors of workplace abuse will tell you: once Human Resources got involved, their situation worsened. The reason is obvious: HR is a function of Management. Heavily-biased, internal investigations are launched, not to search for the truth, but to mitigate risk.
Executive Disconnect
According to Girard, whenever a group scapegoats an individual, the people doing the scapegoating are completely unconscious of the violence they are committing, keeping those in the C-Suite both ignorant of the problem and powerless to do anything about it.
To learn more, click here and read my white paper:
The Catch-22 of Systemic Workplace Abuse:
How Institutions Guarantee Persistence.
Reject the popular notion that work environment is the primary driver of systemic workplace abuse
Consider employer liability and the Scapegoat Mechanism to be foundational to understanding workplace abuse
Develop affordable, ethical, 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 developer of solutions to workplace abuse. Read for yourself: the workplace abuse I experienced in 2019 was catastrophic. Today, I’m committed to creating the most delicious, high-octane lemonade from the lemons that Life gave me.
What sets me apart? By looking at workplace abuse empirically rather than ideologically, I’m free to focus on developing wins for both employees and employers, rather than placing blame where it does little good.
A Singular Opportunity
Despite myriad efforts to better understand and resolve the problem, workplace abuse continues to persist.
I’ve developed the world’s first comprehensive framework designed to neutralize systemic workplace abuse at every juncture, delivering outcomes that are affordable, effective, ethical, and sustainable, something no other workplace product or service can provide.
I’m actively searching for the right organization to build out, license, and carry my solution to market. Its full architecture is available under NDA. If that describes your organization, let’s talk.