Employers are turning to ’employment practices liability’ insurance to protect against bullying-type claims (harassment, wrongful termination, etc.) for which companies pay $5,000 to 
$100,000 in annual premiums with deductibles of $10,000 to $25,000. The median compensation in wrongful termination cases topped $200,000 in 1995, up 45% from the year before.
Workplace bullying includes all types of interpersonal harassment and psychological violence. Few are blatantly illegal; most are not. It crosses all organizational levels, from the top down and from the bottom up. Unchallenged bullying poisons the workplace, undermines productivity, and contributes to a skyrocketing exposure to risk.
The anguish of bullied employees forces them to pay with their health–both psychological and physical–that affects them, their co-workers and their families. It undermines a loyal employee’s commitment to the organization, while eroding personal well-being.
Relationships among employees, and between management and staff, are strained more than ever because of time and productivity pressures. Pressure, to some, justifies the mistreatment of others. When mistreatment goes unchallenged, even passive individuals are capable of explosive rage that can result in headline episodes of workplace violence.
