How to Intervene When You Witness Workplace Aggression

Interventions can be unpredictable and don’t always succeed — but the right approach can make all the difference.

by

and

Brianna Barker Caza

by

and

Brianna Barker Caza

January 12, 2024

Danil Nevsky/Getty Images

Summary.

Given the many impacts of workplace aggression, organizations are exploring a number of prevention initiatives. One increasingly popular initiative, bystander intervention, involves training people who witness acts of aggression to intervene. Although bystanders can play a pivotal role in determining outcomes of workplace aggression, many individuals who speak out against perpetrators of aggression experience backlash. This is because when a bystander steps in, it challenges the perpetrator’s perception of themselves as a good person and colleague, triggering a defensive response. Therefore, the way that bystanders intervene matters. It’s not enough to just tell people to intervene; we need to tell them how to do so in a way that minimizes unintended backlash effects.

Workplace aggression — yelling, making belittling remarks, using threats, or spreading lies or rumors — is a pervasive challenge for organizations that imposes a substantial burden at an astounding annual cost of up to $1.97 trillion. This financial toll includes direct costs associated with medical care expenditures and indirect costs linked to productivity loss due to sickness absence, turnover, and diminished quality of life. Further, employees who experience workplace aggression or merely witness it report thwarted health and decreased performance.

IV

Ivana Vranjes is an assistant professor of work and organizational psychology at the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Tilburg University. In her research, she focuses on negative workplace interactions and how they can be prevented. She is also interested in how technology and technological transformations at work are impacting employee well-being.
Zhanna Lyubykh is an assistant professor of management and organization studies at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. Her research focuses on employee well-being, workplace mistreatment, and leadership.
MH

M. Sandy Hershcovis is the Future Fund Professor in equity, diversity, and inclusion at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. Her research focuses on the role of bystanders in the incidence of workplace mistreatment (e.g., abusive supervision, incivility, sexual harassment). You can find her on LinkedIn @Sandy Hershcovis.
Brianna Barker Caza is an associate professor of management in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her PhD in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan. Her research examines identity processes, interpersonal relationships, power dynamics, and resilience at work. Her research has been widely published, and in 2019 she was recognized as a Thinkers50 Radar thought leader.

How to Intervene When You Witness Workplace Aggression

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