THURS-005 - Bullying Within the US Workplace: Discussions and Policy Development
Thursday, April 23, 2026
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM PST
Location: Plaza Foyer, Plaza Level
Area of Responsibility: Area V: Advocacy Keywords: Advocacy@@@Health Policy@@@Public Health Law(s)@@@Workforce Development, Subcompetencies: 5.2.6 Identify organizational policies and procedures and federal, state, and local laws that pertain to the advocacy efforts., 5.3.2 Use traditional, social, and emerging technologies and methods to mobilize support for policy, system, or environmental change. Research or Practice: Practice
Clinical Professor American Public University System Delmar, Maryland, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Describe the extent of workplace bullying in the US, the organizational factors that contribute to bullying, the common bullying methods used, and how a victim can assess their own experiences.
Identify strategies that are effective in reducing the impact of bullying on the victim and lead to the development of personal action plans and workplace-wide policies for eliminating bullying.
Establish an anti-bullying policy in the immediate workplace, and also healthy workplace policies at the local, county, and state levels that benefit all workers.
Brief Abstract Summary: Workplace bullying occurs in all work settings to 37% of the adult workforce in the US and 78.4% million workers are affected by bullying (Workplace Bullying Institute, 2025). Workplace bullying is not just in the face-to-face workplace, 43% of remote workers report being bullied. Bullying accounts for more than 50% of stress-related illnesses in the victim and the health care costs are estimated to be up to $4 billion annually. This interactive session focuses on helping the victim in coping with and stopping the bully. Participants will gain understanding of the extent of bullying; contributing factors; warning signs and common methods used by bullies; strategies for reducing the personal impact of bullying; recommendations for resolving the bullying; and the development of workplace, local, state, and national policies that can prevent workplace bullying and lower the health care related costs to both the victim and the employer.
Detailed abstract description: Workplace bullying occurs in all work settings to 37% of the adult workforce in the US and 78.4% million workers are affected by bullying annually (Workplace Bullying Institute, 2025). Workplace bullying is not just in the face-to-face workplace, 43% of remote workers report being bullied. Bullying accounts for more than 50% of stress-related illnesses in the victim and the health care costs are estimated to be up to $4 billion annually. This interactive session focuses on helping the victim in coping with and stopping the bully. Participants will gain understanding of the extent of bullying; contributing factors; warning signs and common methods used by bullies; strategies for reducing the personal impact of bullying; recommendations for resolving the bullying; and the development of workplace, local, state, and national policies that can prevent workplace bullying and lower the health care related costs to both the victim and the employer. Public health has the opportunity to positively impact the health, well-being, and lifespan of employees across the US by advocating for local, county, state, and national laws that do not allow workplace bullying in any employment setting. The laws will stop the bullying and the health and well-being and lives of the US workforce will be greatly improved. This session also discusses public health’s involvement in the development and implementation of workplace policies and laws throughout the US.
