New York State legislature considering Healthy Workplace bill

On May 12, the New York State Senate passed the Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB) S1823B / A5414B with a landslide victory of 45 to16. The intention of this bill is to protect workers who have been bullied or abused by their co-workers or supervisors. The next step toward passage is a vote by the New York State House of Representatives.

Currently, an abused worker has no recourse in New York, a state where an employee can be terminated "at will" with no explanation necessary. He or she is completely at the mercy of his or her employer and cannot sue for wrongful termination. New York State workers have no protection against workplace abuse and this behavior is often tolerated by upper management.

Workplace bullying is not uncommon in today's highly stressed workplace. A 2007 WBI-Zogby survey indicates that 37 percent of American workers were currently being bullied or had been bullied in the past.In addition, the survey found the following:

* Most bullies are bosses (72%)
* More perpetrators are men (60%) than are women(40%)
* Most targets (57%) are women
* Women bullies target women (71%); men target men (54%)
* Bullying is 4 times more prevalent than illegal discriminatory harassment
* 62% of employers ignore the problem
* 45% of targets suffer stress-related health problems
* 40% of bullied individuals never tell their employers
* Only 3% of bullied people file lawsuits

Why is this bill important to me? For one year I was the target of workplace bullying at the hands of a former employer and the experience changed me forever. And while I am now employed by a great company that does not condone this type of abuse, I want to help protect employees in other companies who are enduring this abuse.You can read more about my experience here.

Workplace abuse costs companies millions in lost productivity, increases the company’s insurance premiums, and can affect the company’s reputation in the community. I am urging our state representatives to pass this bill and help make New York State the best state in the U.S. in which to work.

For more information, visit the New York Healthy Work Advocates Web site.