Book Review:

The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job (Paperback)
by Gary Namie, Ruth, Ph.D. Namie

Editorial Reviews:

Book Description

Workplace violence may snatch the daily headlines, but outside the spotlight, the pain and degradation of corporate bullying shatters lives nationwide. A landmark book blazing light on one of the business world’s dirtiest secrets, The Bully at Work exposes the destructive, silent epidemic that devastates the lives, careers and families of millions.

Those being bullied at work feel more than merely overworked and under-appreciated. The fear, shame, humiliation and loss of dignity that originate at work can creep into every other aspect of their lives. Bullying is about Work Trauma! At last, there is a way to stop the hurtand stop the bully. Gary and Ruth Namie, pioneers of the Campaign Against Workplace Bullying (bullybusters.org), teach you personal strategies to identify allies, build your confidence, and stand up to your tormentor – or decide when to walk away with your sanity and dignity intact.

The Namies’ expertise on workplace bullying has been featured in such media outlets as CNN, PBS, NPR, USA Today and The Washington Post.

From Publishers Weekly

Bullies on the job can cause irreparable harm to their colleagues, contend the authors, founders of the Campaign Against Workplace Bullying. While violent or vengeful workers occasionally make the news, there are insidious bullies in nearly every workplace, whether co-worker, boss or junior colleague. Their behavior causes other people to suffer shame, humiliation and fear – all of which can affect their non-work life as well as their job performance.

The Namies recommend that “targets” act quickly to dismantle a bullying dynamic once they recognize it, and they also urge government and judicial recognition that “bullying” is an endemic workplace issue that deserves to be taken seriously.

The last 100 pages of the book are the most useful; one chapter, “Control Destructive Mind Games,” analyzes how people let their emotions color their actions. Subsequent chapters offer concrete strategies that “targets” can take to alleviate their workplace distress (including using humor to deflect a bully’s tactics and finding support among colleagues and friends).

However, the notion of “bullying” as a crime seems farfetched; the book would be even more effective if it focused on interpersonal skills and tools that could be used to fight back, rather than on trying to initiate change in public policy. – Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Because bullying has been identified as a contributing factor in the epidemic of violence in schools, teachers and counselors are being trained in methods for dealing with bullies. Unfortunately, many bullies do not stop their disruptive, hurtful behavior after they leave school and get jobs; they often just become more subtle. Few people, though, acknowledge that workplace bullying is or can be a real problem.

The Namies, both psychologists, are out to change that. In 1998 they launched the Campaign against Workplace Bullying. Calling those who experience bullying “targets” rather than “victims,” they have counseled nearly 3,000 such targets. They define what bullying is, show why it is harmful, and attempt to explain why it occurs. They describe efforts in Europe to prevent bullying, where the problem is taken more seriously, and they decry the lack of substantive legal recourse here in the U.S. The authors provide techniques and tactics for bully-proofing oneself and show how targets, once sufficiently prepared emotionally, can move on to “bully-busting” and “tyrant-toppling.” – David Rouse, Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Info

Exposes the destructive, silent epidemic that devastates the lives, careers, and families of millions. Teaches strategies to identify allies, build confidence, and stand up to tormentors. Softcover. DLC: Bullying in the workplace.

About the Author

Gary Namie, Ph.D., is a social organizational psychologist. He is the President of the Campaign Against Workplace Bullying. He brings experience as a Training/OD manager (for two hospital systems), consultant, university professor (at the University of Southern California and Scripps College), and steelworker. Gary won national and University of California awards for his quality teaching. He has delivered more than five hundred seminars, courses, and speeches on every imaginable workplace topic.

Ruth Namie, Ph.D., is the CEO of the Campaign Against Workplace Bullying. Dr. Namie has been a psychotherapist since 1986 with a doctorate in clinical psychology. She maintains a private practice in Benicia, California, and facilitates support groups for working women. She also has experience as a corporate training director in retail human resources management. It was her personal experience with bullying that led to the Campaign and subsequent publications.