Minding the Workplace

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Last week, I received an email from Torii Bottomley , a veteran educator who experienced workplace bullying in the Boston Public School system and spent years in an ultimately successful, yet exhausting legal battle to recover workers’ compensation benefits. Her core message was simple: When dealing with bullying at work and other forms of traumatic mistreatment, don’t overlook the vital importance of good nutrition to support your health.

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 29, 2024

The Economist ‘s “Bartleby” column typically offers thoughtful contemplations on work and career related matters pertinent to managers, executives, and other professional workers. In the current issue of this venerable British newsmagazine, Bartleby serves up a thought-provoking headline: “Why you should never retire” ( link here , but may be paywalled).

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 16, 2024

I’m happy to share with you my latest publication, a short law review essay, “ Four Basic Postulates Concerning Women and Workplace Bullying in the United States ,” appearing in the FIU Law Review (2023) published by the Florida International University College of Law. You may freely access a pdf here. Here is the abstract to the piece: Responding to Kerri Lynn Stone’s “Panes of the Glass Ceiling,” this article delves into the pervasive issue of workplace bull

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 8, 2024

Printout found in a storage box. Lately I’ve been sorting through a lot of papers and files that I’ve stored in boxes for years. Such was the case over the weekend, when I found a printout of an online interview featuring a social psychologist that changed the trajectory of my life and career. During the spring of 1998, when the internet and the World Wide Web were still shiny new things, I stumbled upon an online interview with Dr.

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Minding the Workplace

DECEMBER 29, 2023

Image courtesy of clipart-library.com Dear Readers, I’ll close this calendar year with links to some of the most popular new and old articles about workplace mistreatment posted to this blog, as measured by stat reports. Here’s to a safe, healthy, and fulfilling 2024. 2023 articles Delving into the Dark Triad (October 2023) ( link here ) Long-term UIC study: Chronic workplace bullying can negatively impact targets for years; laws and policies needed (August 2023) ( link here ) Judith

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

At the start of my second year as an instructor in the Lawyering program at New York University School of Law in 1992, I looked at my new class list of first-year students and saw a familiar name: Mark Satin. I would quickly confirm that this was the very Mark Satin who had written and edited a self-styled, left leaning yet “post-liberal” political newsletter titled New Options , which I had enjoyed as a subscriber.

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Minding the Workplace

DECEMBER 11, 2023

(Image courtesy of all-free-download.com) Folks, we continue to see instances of cancel culture playing out in our society. This includes the realm of workplaces and employment. And if we’re being honest about it, we see it coming from all ends of the political and social spectrum. Cancel culture, as I define it, is a disproportionately severe response to a perceived slight or wrong, typically motivated by political ideology, religious beliefs, or social mores.

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Posted to the Bring Evidence Facebook Page The cartoon pictured above shows an airline passenger claiming that “smug pilots have lost touch with regular passengers like us,” therefore justifying his call for a show of hands from fellow passengers who think he should fly the plane. It’s a spoof that hits home at a time when a lot of people are falling for baseless online “information” that purports to portray an alternative truth, often one that mainstream powers-tha

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

View of the Boston Common and the Park Street Church, from our meeting room at Suffolk U Law School in downtown Boston From last Wednesday through Saturday, I had the pleasure of bringing together in Boston a remarkable group of friends and colleagues for some in-depth conversations about the past, present, and future of the workplace anti-bullying movement and the work that we’ve been doing as part of it.

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

I’ve just published an essay in the Suffolk University Law Review , saying that it’s time for a serious conversation about expanding the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) to cover workers from workplace hazards that are causing or likely to cause serious psychological harm. Here’s the abstract of the piece, which is posted to my Social Science Research Network page and may be freely downloaded by going here : The U.S.

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

I’m delighted to share with you links to a podcast episode that featured Dr. Gary Namie (Director, Workplace Bullying Institute ) and I talking about workplace bullying, especially as it relates to the employment relations roles of human resources professionals. I’d also like to share my own optimism that more and more HR folks are open to, if not downright supportive of, enactment of the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill, as part of a bigger conversation about a more pro-active r

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Minding the Workplace

OCTOBER 29, 2023

I’m working on a law review article that will examine how insights about trauma and traumatization can inform law reform efforts. Part of that work involves a consideration of the psychological make-up of those who engage in abusive behaviors. Those whose personalities encompass the “Dark Triad,” i.e. , a combination of narcissistic, sociopathic/psychopathic, and Machiavellian traits, come up frequently in these discussions.

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Minding the Workplace

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Hello dear readers, this is Freedom From Workplace Bullies Week, an annual observance launched by the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) some 13 years ago. WBI describes Freedom Week this way: Bullying is a systematic campaign of interpersonal destruction that jeopardizes your health, your career, the job you once loved. Bullying is a non-physical, non-homicidal form of violence.

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Minding the Workplace

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

The Economist news magazine recently reviewed a new book by historian Robert Peckham, Fear: An Alternative History of the World (2023) ( link here ; registration necessary), and I couldn’t help but relate it to some of the less wonderful aspects of work and employment. Here are some snippets of the review (with selected passages bolded): Fear is a primal, necessary emotion.

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Minding the Workplace

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

On this Labor Day 2023, let’s focus on a recently-released survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), reporting that some 19% of respondents labeled their workplace as being “very or somewhat toxic.” The 2023 release of the APA’s annual Work in America Survey ( link here ) shows that many U.S. workers are not happy with the culture and climate of their workplaces: For a sizeable portion of Americans, work is demoralizing, frightening, and even traumatic.

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Minding the Workplace

AUGUST 20, 2023

In this awful summer of climate and weather extremes, the wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have been especially heartbreaking to me. Hardest hit was Lahaina, the historic whaling town and popular tourist site, which now stands virtually destroyed. As summarized by the Washington Post : The wildfires that swept through parts of Maui last week are now considered the deadliest in modern U.S. history, killing more than 100 people and leaving behind a path of destruction that will require bil

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Minding the Workplace

AUGUST 2, 2023

An important new research study ( go here for pdf) coming out of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) finds that, among other things, targets of chronic workplace bullying may face higher levels of psychological distress and alcohol misuse for years after exposure to the abusive behaviors. This “is the first study to examine the effects of [workplace harassment] over an approximately 25 year period.” The findings and recommendations are the latest results of a significant long

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Minding the Workplace

JULY 18, 2023

(image courtesy of Clip Art Library) Have you ever dealt with someone at work who behaves like some of the most annoying, high-conflict people you’ve encountered in social media settings? I had a clarifying moment the other day. While reading a recent Framelab newsletter piece by Dr. George Lakoff, the brilliant linguistics professor and political analyst, about the futility of arguing with online trolls, I realized how this personality type can also be a giant pain to deal with at work.

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Minding the Workplace

JUNE 29, 2023

In this, my third look at Dr. Judith Herman’s important new examination of psychological trauma, Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice (2023), I would like to connect the theme of trauma and justice to therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), a multidisciplinary school of theory and practice that examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic properties of law, legal processes, and legal institutions.

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Minding the Workplace

JUNE 13, 2023

In my previous post , I set out the basic premises behind Judith Herman’s new examination of psychological trauma, Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice (2023). In her welcomed volume, Dr. Herman’s focus is on a final stage of recovering from trauma, that of justice, reasoning that “(i)f trauma is truly a social problem, and indeed it is, then recovery cannot be simply a private, individual matter.

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Minding the Workplace

MAY 31, 2023

In 1992, psychiatrist Judith L. Herman shared her groundbreaking analysis of psychological trauma, Trauma and Recovery. For years this has been among the “must read” books on the topic, and Dr. Herman has remained a leading authority in the field. In a 2022 edition, she would add an epilogue that examines new understandings and developments in trauma research and treatment during the ensuing decades.

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Minding the Workplace

MAY 7, 2023

I was interviewed for a WalletHub feature ( link here ) examining the future of working from home. As part of these features, WalletHub includes an “Ask the Experts” section that explores some of the underlying questions about work and workplaces. Among other things, I was asked to consider the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, generically speaking.

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Minding the Workplace

APRIL 26, 2023

During the past weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in a workshop on therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), featuring nine presentations on various aspects of law and psychology, held at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) School of Law in San Juan. UPR happens to be the home institution of Prof. David Wexler, a co-founder of TJ, which is a multidisciplinary school of theory and practice that examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic properties of law, legal processes, and legal institutio

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Minding the Workplace

MARCH 31, 2023

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Ikigai , according to Wikipedia , “is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.” It is most commonly explained by invoking some version of the diagram reproduced above. The common center of all four circles is considered to be the state of ikigai.

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Minding the Workplace

MARCH 13, 2023

After a bit of a quiet period during the heart of the pandemic, various state legislatures are showing renewed interest in the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill. Perhaps it’s the growing attention being accorded to toxic workplaces, or maybe it’s a sign that our elected officials are not as consumed with the challenges posed by the pandemic.

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Minding the Workplace

MARCH 8, 2023

I’ve recommended Dr. Robin Stern’s The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life (2018 ed.) as the best general source of information and guidance on the phenomenon of gaslighting, which occurs often in highly manipulative workplace bullying situations. Now Dr. Stern has moved into a more direct self-help mode with the publication of The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide (2023).

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Minding the Workplace

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

I wanted to re-share a resource that may be useful to those who are offering, arranging, and participating in internship programs in politics, public policy, international relations, and related fields. The book is Renée B. Van Vechten, Bobbi Gentry, and John C. Berg, Political Science Internships: Towards Best Practices (2021), published by the American Political Science Association (APSA).

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Minding the Workplace

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

My law school has a faculty podcast series designed to introduce students and others to what we’re doing. Here’s my podcast episode, recorded late last fall and now online. I talk about workplace bullying, therapeutic jurisprudence, work & the pandemic, gaslighting, classes I teach, respond to some personal Q&As about my favorite food, a recommended book, etc., and close with some advice.

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Minding the Workplace

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

Here’s a story from my neck of the woods (Greater Boston) that may have broader implications for the future of the labor market and the labor movement. In essence, it’s about what happened after baristas at a small independent chain of coffeehouses opted to unionize and then attempted to pressure the owners towards signing a first collective bargaining agreement.

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 30, 2023

(image courtesy of freepik.com) It was probably inevitable: As an ultimate reminder to workers that they are quickly disposable and easily disposed of, some companies are resorting to standardized emails to inform people that they no longer have a job. The pandemic has taught many companies that their workers can be efficient and productive working from outside of the office, and a good number of employers have embraced remote work as a new norm.

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 25, 2023

I’m happy to share that here in Massachusetts, the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB) has been reintroduced in the new, 2023-24 session of the Massachusetts legislature. We are delighted that Sen. Paul Feeney (D-Bristol & Norfolk), a stalwart voice for workers, is again the lead sponsor. The HWB permits targets of severe workplace bullying to seek damages in court and creates liability-reducing incentives for employers to act preventively and responsively towards bullying behaviors a

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 9, 2023

Hello dear readers, I’m linking below video recordings of several programs in which I participated during 2022. I hope you’ll find something of interest! “Bullying and Incivility in the Academic Workplace” (March 2022) ( link here ) — I gave a presentation about “Bullying and Incivility in the Academic Workplace” to the Northeastern University College of Science in Boston, as part of a series on “Disrupting Academic Bullying.

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 4, 2023

University of Miami Law Review , 2021. University of Baltimore Law Review , 2021. This semester, I had one of my most enjoyable teaching experiences ever at Suffolk University Law School, via a unique course that I’ve designed called the “Law and Psychology Lab” (LPL), a four-credit, workshop-type offering that examines the intersection of law and psychology in ways that are relevant to legal practice, law reform, and the legal profession.

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Minding the Workplace

JANUARY 1, 2023

Image courtesy of citypng.com. Hello dear readers, and welcome to the New Year! I collected ten of the most popular 2022 posts on work-related themes. If you missed them earlier or would like to take another look, then here’s your chance to read them: “Gaslighting” is the Merriam-Webster 2022 “word of the year” (Dec. 2022) ( link here ).

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Minding the Workplace

DECEMBER 20, 2022

In the United States, workplace bullying tends to be a top-down phenomenon. According to the latest Workplace Bullying Institute national scientific survey of workplace bullying in the U.S. ( link to summary here ), supervisor-to-subordinate bullying is by far the most frequent pattern (65%), followed by peer-to-peer bullying (21%). Subordinate-to-supervisor bullying, which some researchers call upward bullying , lags far behind in terms of prevalence (14%).

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Minding the Workplace

DECEMBER 4, 2022

. Back in October, I shared a short viewer’s guide to the 1944 film Gaslight ( link here ), noting that it inspired the pop psych term gaslighting , which is “now used to characterize psychologically manipulative and controlling behaviors in interpersonal relationships, the political realm, and — of course — our workplaces.” Well, little did I know that the folks at the venerable Merriam-Webster dictionary would designate gaslighting as their “word of the year” f

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Minding the Workplace

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Hello, dear readers, I’m enjoying my traditional U.S. Thanksgiving trip to New York City right now. The 12 years I lived in this city (1982-94) were a personally and professionally formative time for me, so I always get a bit reflective when I visit. With this morning’s publication of a piece contemplating the notion of personal libraries (see below for link) to the blog of Harrison Middleton University , where I’m doing a side gig as a 2022 Fellow in Ideas , I thought I’

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