Sept. 15th Lobby Day for Healthy Workplace Advocates

California Healthy Workplace Advocates plan to visit the Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 15th to promote the Healthy Workplace Resolution. Help us support this important Resolution by contacting YOUR legislators at www.leginfo.ca.gov and requesting their support:

California Healthy Workplace Advocates www.bullyfreeworkplace.org
Healthy Workplace Resolution, 2011

Resolution requesting the State of California recognize the detrimental impact of workplace bullying on creating a safe and productive workplace for all employers and employees

Whereas, The phenomenon of workplace bullying is recognized by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as a sub-lethal, non-physical form of workplace violence; and

Whereas, It can be defined as repeated, health-harming mistreatment by one or more employees manifested as either verbal abuse, work interference or sabotage, or conduct that is perceived by the targeted person as threatening, intimidating or humiliating; and

Whereas, The results of the 2010 scientific U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey written by the Workplace Bullying Institute, and conducted by Zogby International, demonstrated that at least 35% of all adult Americans have directly experienced bullying, afflicting 54 million Americans; and

Whereas, It is reasonable to expect that 5,602,429 million Californian workers are similarly adversely affected; and

Whereas, Over 20 years of research in the fields of occupational health, epidemiology, traumatic stress, psychology and organizational behavior document the nature and negative impact of workplace bullying; and

Whereas, Employees suffer bullying-induced health problems, including stress-related diseases such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neuro-structural, musculoskeletal, and accelerated aging from DNA chromosomal damage in addition to psychological injuries including debilitating anxiety, clinical depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and in the worst case scenarios, suicide; and

Whereas, Adverse consequences for employers include undesirable turnover, lost productivity from excessive absenteeism, disability stress claims, and shattered morale of the workers who are directly or vicariously exposed to bullying; and

Whereas, Forty-four percent of U.S. employers treat complaints of workplace bullying with indifference and no corrective action. It is reasonable to expect the same holds true in California employers; and

Whereas, Without a law, neither private nor public sector employers are compelled to hold offenders as accountable as they are when incidents of illegal harassment are reported; and
Whereas, Bullying at work is considered abusive conduct; it is the sole form of abuse still accepted by society; and

Be it resolved that the State of California encourages all citizens, employees, and employers to learn how to prevent and correct such destructive workplace behavior during Freedom From Workplace Bullies Week, October 16th to October 22nd.

Respectfully Submitted,
California Healthy Workplace Advocates