Worker Responses to Bully Bosses

The tragic events resulting from workplace bullying and the increased legal pressure on organizations to prohibit harassment have resulted in many organizations adopting anti-bullying policies to protect their workers from bully bosses. Whether or not these initiatives are perceived by workers to be effective, however, is unknown. This paper examines how workers (both victims and non-victims) perceive their organization's willingness to eradicate bullying, how they perceive the effectiveness of anti-bullying policies, and how they respond to bully bosses. Based on a large survey sample and several in-depth interviews, results suggest that victims and non-victims differ in their perceptions and responses.