Employers that allow bullies to harass other employees lose top talent, have a harder time recruiting new employees, lose reputation, and pay a lot more in absences and medical costs, especially those related to stress disorders. In addition, unhappy employees are far more likely to file lawsuits.

Making a commitment to develop and maintain a positive corporate culture is the first step in combating workplace bullying. Companies also need to train managers to recognize and deal with bullying—and to avoid engaging in it themselves.

It is often the best and the brightest employees who are targeted by bullies. All managers should be held responsible for addressing this type of mistreatment as it occurs on their watch. Employees at every level should get a clear message that the company means business when it expresses a commitment to a satisfying working environment, and there should be easy and safe ways for employees at any level to report bullying or suspected bullying without fear of retaliation.

This issue of Workforce Strategies explores the nature and causes of workplace bullying, details the damage bullying can do both to the employees who must endure it and to the employers that tolerate it, and provides practical solutions employers can apply to eliminate workplace bullying without constraining the “constructive confrontation” that fuels workplace innovation.