Aggression in the workplace causes real damage: leaders must take measures against them

The aggression in the workplace is a generalized and highly harmful Issue that organizations cost it billions of dollars annually in the loss of productivity. Beyond financial losses, it encourages toxic cultures in the workplace, it exposes companies to legal and reputable risks, and cause substantial anguish for those who experience either witness.

For years, scholars and practitioners They have sought ways to prevent aggression in the workplace and mitigate their negative consequences. A proposed solution is the intervention of spectators, where employees who are witnesses or listen about the aggression intervene to stop it or address it.

However, results of Our recent meta -analysis They take doubts about the effectiveness of the intervention of spectators as a reliable solution. We integrate the results of the investigation of 149 articles, which included data of 111,466 participants. Alarm, we discovered that viewers intervened only in the artificial security of experiments, but not in real work environments.

Not all employees feel equipped to address the aggression of the workplace, and organizations should not depend too much on employees to take measures. Instead, we highlight the crucial role that leaders can play. Leaders can effectively interrupt The incidents of the aggression in the workplace, act as models to remain influential for others and, ultimately, encourage inclusive climates.

Leaders must take a step forward

Leaders can realize the aggression of the workplace in several ways, including listening to rude comments in a meeting, receive complaints in writing or be addressed to obtain advice on the management of inappropriate jokes. When this happens, leaders must decide whether to act and how.

Several barriers can prevent leaders from responding constructively. Like any other person, leaders are prone to cognitive distortions. They can minimize an incident as a joke, they doubt to face a high performance employee who is the instigator, or even blame the objective of causing behavior.

Some leaders may also feel that it is not their responsibility to intervene. If they have demanding jobs, they may not have time or energy to get involved in interpersonal problems that are not central to their jobs.

However, the leader’s inaction cost is high. In 2022, Nike faced a demand for harassment and discrimination With the employees who raise concerns that “Nike’s management was unlikely to address their concerns” about unwanted sexual advances, sexist attitudes and discrimination.

In another case, The Royal Canadian Monned Police faced a demand of $ 1.1 billion alleging systematic negligence and failure of “the chain of command” to address the aggression in the workplace.

When leaders ignore aggression in the workplace, organizations may suffer from reputation financial damage and damage. But most importantly, employees can Experience severe anguishincluding posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder and depression.

Responding to aggressive incidents

A survey found that Only 44 percent of US companies employees Very much agree that their companies have a culture where employees are encouraged to speak. Too often, employees remain silent when it comes to dealing with aggressive behaviors due to their lack of power or perceived capacity to make a difference.

However, leaders have the power to resist recoil, hold the instigators and create a support environment in the workplace. Leaders must assume an active role in both prevention and response to aggressive workplace incidents.

First, leaders must recognize that addressing aggression is part of their work. In addition to the legal obligations of addressing aggression, the actions of the leaders establish the pattern for what is considered acceptable. Demonstrating a commitment to courtesy may indicate your ethical leadershipa highly valued leadership style.

Read more:
Tensions in the workplace: how and when viewers can make a difference

Second, leaders should also address what minor incidents might seem. A common erroneous concept among spectators It is that minor incidents of aggression are not serious or harmful enough to act.

Minor aggression incidents include low intensity behaviors, such as sarcastic comments, offensive jokes, ocular spear or derogatory gestures. The most severe aggression includes behaviors such as screams, intimidation, throwing objects with anger or even inflicting physical damage.

The aggression often begins with relatively lower acts that can The most severe is intensified when they run out of controlSo these smaller acts must be addressed. Once the aggression increases in intensity or frequency, it becomes part of the organizational culture, which makes it much harder to change.

It may seem surprising, but the minor and severe aggression can be equally harmful to the victims. Minor incidents They are often subtle, which can lead to excessive rummy (for example, was it intentional?), Doubts (for example, am I misunderstanding it?) And the self -esteem lowered. This is particularly problematic because Minor incidents are significantly more frequent at work.

How leaders can intervene effectively

Leaders must also learn to intervene properly in incidents of aggression. For minor incidents, leaders can take immediate measures by redirecting the attention of the objective and stopping the incident by changing the conversation or suggesting a quick rest.

Leaders must also approach aggressive behavior with the instigator. Aggressive behaviors, especially in minor ways, are sometimes involuntary, so it is better to address the conversation in a non -confrontaining way that incites instigator to reflect on their behavior and recognize the harmful nature of their actions.

Since employees commonly become defensive or deny irregularities during such conversations, leaders should focus on discussing behaviors instead of personality and providing processable suggestions for a positive behavior change.

It is also important to provide support to the objective. Sometimes, Employees react negatively towards victims of aggression at the workplaceHow to blame them for provoking aggression instead of supporting them, which can damage their social position within the team. When leaders support victims, he points to others how they should respond, which can help victims retain their social status.

Leaders can also create opportunities for the objective to show their skills, reaffirming the importance of their role within the team and organization, or participating in acts of aliatic leaders towards the victims.

Spectators training innovation

While our findings question the effectiveness of the intervention of spectators among regular employees, they underline the critical role of those in positions of authority and power to take measures to address the aggression in the workplace.

Leaders must adopt innovative training programs, including spectators intervention training. While many organizations already provide such training, often only involves educational videos or conferences. Research shows that the best way to learn is to practicenot listening passively. Training must take this into account.

But how can employees practice interventions in a safe environment? One way in which organizations can do this is to take advantage of recent technological developments, such as generative artificial intelligence, to create realistic training simulations.

Students can participate in simulated conversations with a virtual instigator or victim and practice their intervention skills. These conversations can be done in real time with an avatar through video or voice, allowing employees to generate trust and refine their focus on a controlled environment.

Leaders have both power and responsibility to create safer workplaces. By taking measures to interrupt the aggression and support the victims, leaders can be models to follow for employees and, ultimately, promote a more productive work environment. Needless to say, leaders must address the problem, not contribute to it.