Bullying Is Bad, But So Is This Anti-Bullying Bill

Crain's Chicago Business published the article "Bullying is bad, but so is this anti-bullying bill" by Jay Hux on August 27, 2014

No one can argue that bullying is bad, in the schoolyard or in the workplace. Efforts to increase awareness of bullying are laudable. In a public service announcement on Facebook, President Barack Obama said bullying “affects every single young person in our country.”

Acts of “bullying” can lead to absenteeism, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental health issues. This is particularly true where the conduct is directed toward children or young adults.

Of course, well-intentioned public sentiment does not always coalesce into good law. Along these lines, Illinois has joined 27 state legislatures that have introduced measures that would ban bullying in the workplace. The Workplace Bullying Prohibition Act prevents any “severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct” that places a person “in reasonable fear of harm,” has a “detrimental effect on the person's physical or mental health,” substantially interferes with the person's “productivity” or substantially interferes with “the ability of the employee to benefit from opportunities provided by the employer.”

Read the entire article on Crain's Chicago Business.