John, a seasoned manager, is growing weary of receiving daily email complaints from employees and occasionally a customer. They are not ordinary complaints. These are complaints about an employee who meets the expectations of the job but is described as “bullying,” “intimidating,” “inappropriate” and even “terrorizing.”

The harsh reality is that workplace bullying is more common than many think. This should not be too surprising; it’s a troubling topic for parents of school-age children. People don’t grow out of bullying. Bullies, in fact, can be very intelligent, get good grades and then get hired by companies based upon their knowledge and skills. Often they are also skilled in hiding any signs of bullying until they’re on the job. This is often the time when the bully comes out of the closet seeking a victim, or pairs up with another bully at work to seek victims.

Check out these facts about workplace bullying:

According to a 2010 Workplace Bullying Institute Survey, slightly more than one out of three (35 percent) U.S. workers have been bullied at work.

Victims of workplace bullying suffer from psychological and physical symptoms such as sleep disturbances and stress.

Victims of workplace bullying are more likely to skip work, decrease their performance and seek employment at a psychologically and physically safer place.

Victims of workplace bullying will file lawsuits against their employers and managers for discrimination under Title VII and Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations.

Can your business afford this happening? If you’re a manager, can you allow this to occur? Clearly, the answer is no. You have to do something. There are five concrete actions you must take to prevent workplace bullying when it occurs:

1. Adopt a workplace bullying policy.

The purpose of such a policy is to formally establish the “rules of the road” regarding inappropriate behavior at work. Harassment and safety policies usually do not address workplace bullying. The contents of a workplace bullying policy should spell out which behaviors will not be tolerated (physical abuse, verbal abuse, email stalking, etc.) and identify how incidents are to be reported and how they will be handled by the company. A workplace bullying policy must also align with existing company policies so workers are not confused or do not play one policy against the other. An attorney must review the policy before it is finalized to be sure it agrees with federal, state and local laws and regulations. Do not minimize the unnecessary legal, regulatory and public relations risks of failing to attend to workplace bullying in a serious fashion.

2. Communicate and educate the workforce about the policy.
It is crucial that, once approved, the policy is effectively communicated. Simply slapping it on an intranet site, Website or bulletin board is not sufficient. It should be presented in person to the entire staff to signal its importance and allow for discussion. Beyond making people aware of the policy, it should be incorporated into orientation sessions for new employees. Larger companies should design classes on preventing and addressing workplace bullying, with the policy as the centerpiece to the training. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction, even in the age of the Internet.

3. Set expectations that the policy will be followed without exception.
A policy without consequences, positive or negative, is like a dog without teeth. You are familiar with the saying, “All bark and no bite.” Be sure to put “teeth” into the policy to create and sustain a bully-free workplace. For instance, align the bullying policy with the company’s discipline policy.

4. Establish a process to field complaints.
Do not make targets of workplace bullying victims twice, first for being a victim of such behavior and second for reporting such behavior. It is important that employees are able to report incidents of workplace bullying to a neutral third party — outside their chain of command, if possible — to minimize the chances of retaliation and discomfort. Many companies even have a hotline. Whatever mechanism you use for reporting, it should be confidential, accessible 24/7 and trusted by both the person making the claim and those who are part of the claim.

5. Record the results of the policy to keep it up-to-date.
Report on an annual basis the effectiveness of the policy, the enforcement of the policy, as well as the resolution of workplace bullying complaints. Do not disclose individual information but focus on companywide results.

GOOD BUSINESS

These five actions to prevent workplace bullying make good business sense. They also represent ways to make your workplace psychologically and physically safer for all employees. Beyond workplace safety, a work environment free of harassment, intimidation, threats and harm allows workers to focus on their work.