This podcast episode explores workplace bullying and its profound effects on individuals. The speaker defines workplace bullying as a targeted and escalating attack on a person's social and professional integrity, noting that it requires multiple people to join in and involves a power differential that favors the bully. The episode delves into the complexities of distinguishing between criticism and early-stage bullying, highlighting the organizational and environmental factors that contribute to bullying. It explores the predictable pattern of bullying, including the use of a decoy threat to rally supporters and the tactics employed by bullies to silence their targets. The psychological effects of shaming and the silencing phase of workplace bullying are also examined. The episode emphasizes the severe consequences of bullying, both in childhood and adulthood, and calls for action to address this pervasive issue.
