Workplace Bullying and the Slippery Slope to Harassment

Workplace bullies may be gouging your bottom line in ways both overt and hidden.

Perhaps most seriously, workplace bullying can put organizations on a glide path to illegal harassment, attorney Jonathan A. Segal told Bloomberg Law. Segal is a partner in management-side law firm Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia.

“The bully may get something done as a result of fear, but the same fear may make people try to avoid the person,” Segal said. That’s likely to turn any short-term productivity gains into long-term losses, he said. Productivity takes more hits as employees who know about the bully’s reputation find ...