Workplace Bullying - Not Fashionable

On any given Sunday during football season, you can find me spending time with my friends and family watching football and cheering on my favorite NFL team. 
And of course like most people, being a Monday morning quarterback the next day.  However, this past Monday November 4, 2013 and even today, my conversation was not about Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco getting sacked 5 times or how Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles tied the NFL record for 7 touch down passes in the game. Instead, it has been about Miami Dolphin player Richie Incognito’s suspension for misconduct – described as workplace bullying, against his team mate Jonathan Martin. Martin has since resigned from the team. This really disturbed me after reading the voice message transcript because no one deserves to be addressed with racial slurs, profanity, and death threats regardless the situation and it’s more disturbing when it comes from someone you work with.

Workplace bullying is defined as repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes any of the following forms:

• Verbal abuse 
• Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating
• Work interference - sabotage - which prevents work from getting done delete period

To me workplace bullying is a form of diversity disrespect – not respecting that others are unique and everyone brings diverse perspectives, thoughts, skills and backgrounds to the work environment. We must understand that everyone is different, but while being different everyone must be respected regardless of one’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, cultural background, and experience. I encourage you to walk with me on this journey to respect others and not exclude someone because when you look through your lens they don’t look like you do, they act differently than you do, or have different experiences and perspectives than you do. At the end of the day, workplace bullying or any form of bullying is not fashionable. Unleash the Real You   MLStyles

My location for this reflection - most pieces I found in the back of my closet. Look in yours and leave a comment letting me know what you find and how you feel about workplace bullying-

I would love to hear from you!

Denim Jacket - Ross Dress for Less

Sweater - JC Penney

White Shirt -  Michael Kors 

Skirt - The Limited

Tall Boot - Ralph Lauren