Mental health
fromInc
6 days agoWorkplace Stress and Bullying Are Linked to 840,000 Deaths a Year, New Study Finds
Psychosocial workplace factors are responsible for over 840,000 premature employee deaths annually due to stress-related disorders.
A Concern call centre manager who claimed multiple bullying and harassment complaints against him were down to a "Gen Z/woke alliance" at work has lost a legal challenge to his sacking.
If you've spent enough time in workplaces, on boards, or in other community organizations, you've probably had that moment where your stomach tightens in a meeting and you're not entirely sure why. A comment lands sideways. A tone shifts. Someone interrupts you for the third time. You walk away replaying the exchange, wondering whether you imagined it or whether something subtle but unmistakable just happened. That confusion is often the first sign you're dealing with a workplace bully.
Person A said she was subjected to xenophobic behaviour from colleagues, including Miss Njoku, while working in a respiratory ward at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington in 2021. Person A said the senior nurse called her a Polish cow, Polish idiot, swine nose, stupid old cow and an old woman and complained to managers but no investigation took place. Person A said the encounter left them feeling very nervous whenever Miss Njoku was on duty
Maureen's reactions make complete sense-both as a child and as an adult, she learned to stay guarded. Being alert likely protected her in harsh settings, and that deserves recognition. But there's also a toll: living in a state of high alert is exhausting. Bracing for criticism, decoding tone and word choice, and anticipating the next betrayal drains us physically and emotionally.
"I throw up every day before work now. When I hear his voice, I shake. I can't sleep, and I've lost weight. This job is killing me!" she cried. Kathy worked for a bullying boss whose recent tirades escalated to an unbearable level. The last straw for Kathy occurred when her boss stomped up behind her and slammed a large report binder on her desk, startling her.
The need for connection is evolutionary. Traveling in packs offered physical protection and emotional support. Ostracism threatens belonging more clearly and more strongly than other unpleasant social responses.