When a supervisor or co-worker puts-down, sabotages, or otherwise humiliates, threatens, or intimidates an employee, it makes life miserable for that employee.
Workplace abuse is about those in power abusing it. Think domestic abuse but at work — with the same gradual feelings of low self-worth, self-blame, and isolation.
You probably know that abuse at work is an epidemic. It's too often a symptom of implicit bias — a problem discrimination law stopped helping since the 1980s when courts moved from focusing on impact to intent.
The absence of an effective law and support services leaves competent and ethical workers with nowhere to turn. They choose between their health and a paycheck. Their health deteriorates. Their families suffer. Sadly, thousands have already become shells of themselves with lost hope of re-entering the workforce and embracing the joy they deserve.
Today, more than ever, we need to make "workplace abuse" a household term so workers don't believe they're the problem. We need to create a national movement that says abuse at work is unacceptable. We need to double the size of our base so we can create enough noise to help workers know they're not the problem and fight for the legal protections they deserve to prevent toxic behavior at work in the first place.
Your one-year membership will help prevent abuse at work by helping to move these crucial projects forward:
- We have two active bills with 12 more in the works. We need more help to build awareness to build our state legislative teams to get our work done. We need printed marketing materials, mailings to unions, Facebook ads, and billboards in 2022 to double the size of our base — so we can create enough noise to help workers know they're not the problem and fight for the legal protections they deserve to prevent toxic behavior at work in the first place. Give to double the size of our base to create a groundswell to pass much-needed legislation.
- We need to add protections from abuse at work to union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), a tool we can use to advance protections for psychological safety at work. But figuring out which agreements are up for negotiation is a challenge. We seek to fund access to a research tool that gives us this information so we can reach out to unions about strengthening their CBAs. Give so we can access data so we can provide stronger protections for union members, a strategy that can also increase legislative support.
- We'll conduct a major research project so we can gain media attention and awareness and educate legislators on workplace abuse and general attitudes about workers' current job and their workplaces, demographics, general perceptions of it, rates of it, especially of those in K-12 education, higher education, health care, and the public sector, outcomes, impact of COVID-19 on it and solutions to it. Give so we can educate the public and legislators on how workplace abuse really works.
Every worker deserves psychological safety. It's only possible with the help of support like yours.
Workers' futures are in your hands.
For $25 per year or more, targets and other supporters can get the following:
- Quarterly webinars on such topics as how to survive and thrive after the bullying and legislation
- "16 ways to be a better ally" list from Catherine Mattice of Civility Partners
- "Commitment to building a culture of respect" assessment from Catherine Mattice of Civility Partners
- Making the business case to your employer to get rid of the bully from Catherine Mattice of Civility Partners: The cost of bad behavior in the workplace, ROI of employee engagement, and selling culture change to the CEO
- Negotiating severance packages: a FREE 15-minute consultation about with Ms. Camay
If you are unable to afford a membership but would still like to join, email info@workplacebullyingcoalition.org.