Stopping Harassment Before It Starts Includes Dealing With Bullying

Toxic workplaces have been making plenty of headlines lately.  Recent stories about toxic workplaces - and some of the fallout - have spanned all sorts of industries, from government to video gaming to professional sports.

What makes a workplace toxic?  There's probably an academic definition (or two), but what's intended for purposes of this article is behavior that is intimidating, demeaning or belittling, and is either severe, ongoing, or both.  It typically involves someone taking advantage of a power difference, real or perceived.  The power difference may come from official position or title, it may come from long tenure with the organization, it may come from namedropping or sense of connections to power within the organization, and it may come from being a rainmaker, superstar, or someone identified as high potential.  The person or group on the receiving end lacks such power and often receives a message, not always in so many words, that any complaint will