For the last 2 weeks the California Healthy Workplace Advocates has been lobbying the California state Legislature for the Workplace Bullying Accountability Act. Over 2 years ago the NIH has labeled Workplace Bullying an Epidemic. To the targets, it is a slient Epidemic. This designation is consistant with our shows that 74.8 million workers have been affected by Workplace Bullying. In addition, we also know that the first person that they seek help from is their spouse. We also know that as the emotions grow in the target, they tend to take it out on their families. So really with a family of four that 74.8 million now grows to 299.2 million people. When you consider that population is around 330 million people that is a big proportion of our society. Therefore, we need a bill like the Workplace Bullying Accountability Act as part of our anti-bullying campaign
Today we are announcing a press campaign regarding our getting our word out on how bad Bullying in the Workplace actually is on the people that the bully/perpetrator's events are on a person who is targets. By the way, 62% of those that are targeted wind up losing their jobs . But the long term affects can appear some 30 years later besides the affects that occur along the way. My question to the employers: Why are you letting someone in your employ is allowed to ruin another employee's life?
As part of our anti-bullying Campaign, we will continue to lobby for the Workplace Bullying Accountability Act in the California State Legislature. Currently we have 13 citizen lobbyists.
Our Speaker for our February Meeting is Linda Crocket., who will tell us what trauma informed processes are. Linda, is a well known advocate from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She has spoke to our group before. She was scheduled to speak to in October, 2024 meting and got sick at the last minute but helped us get Dr. Fraser and we also got Dr. Gary Namie and had one of the best monthly meetings that we have had. Now Ms. Crockett will come back to inform us.
On Tuesday, we will be discussing The Workplace Bullying Accountability Act with Senator Scott Wiener's Legislative Director. By now most of the Assembly and Senate of the California State Legislature have their packets and now we need to start a letter writing campaign in support of the bill. We need to convince the legislature that there is a need for the bill and that there is an over whelming support for the bill. We have everything necessary to do this campaign on our website that you can download and write your legislator on behalf of the bill. Click on the button below to get the information that you need. It is all on the same page.
Our Speaker for our March 29, 2025 meeting is Stefanie Costi. She is an international speaker on bullying in the workplace.
Her journey started when I was the victim of workplace bullying and harassment in professional services that shattered my confidence and left me with post-traumatic stress disorder. Instead of staying silent, She decided to share her story on LinkedIn and use my experiences to make a real difference.
Since then, I have worked with and presented to audiences at TEDx Cooks Hill, the Legal Up (InfoTrack) International Conference, Managing Partners Forum - Boutique Firms, Law Ninjas The NextGen GC Summit, the National Press Club of Australia, the University of Technology Sydney, Baker McKenzie and Canva.
She has also collaborated with Members of Parliament to effect change in work, health and safety in New South Wales. My activism was highlighted in a speech by the Honorable Mark Buttigieg, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations, Work Health and Safety, and Multiculturalism in the Legislative Council of NSW in March 2024.
Her opinion and expertise have been sought after by ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Project, The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, Business Insider, Disrupt Radio, the Law Society Journal and Future Women.
In April 2024, I launched the Bona Fide Workplaces campaign - a movement advocating for legislation that includes mandatory workplace bullying and harassment education, better resources for regulatory authorities and penalties for failing to report complaints of workplace bullying and harassment. You can sign the petition and share your story at www.bonafideworkplaces.com.
When you have support, it’s easier to be courageous and step into your strength. I’m here to help. I offer support through workplace venting sessions, HR/manager meeting assistance, legal advice (for those in Australia) and career mentoring. I regularly assist people in Australia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Our Speaker for our April 26, 2025 meeting is Jennifer Fraser. She has a PhD in Comparative Literature, am an award-winning educator, and author of four books with a new one on the way! I write a regular series "The Bullied Brain" for Psychology Today and consult for organizations, governments, school systems on transforming bullying/ abuse into healthy, happy, high-performance. I use the superpowers of empathy and kindness - which inspire and empower our brains and our overall health - to create culture-change.
NEW BOOK coming out in the Fall of 2025: "The Gaslit Brain: Protect Your Brain from the Lies of Bullying, Gaslighting, and Institutional Complicity." This book is for Leaders, Managers, and HR. "The Gaslit Brain" unpacks our failure to privilege factual, objective truth and instead normalize an era of disinformation where lies proliferate.
How can we reverse this descent into collective insanity?
Brain research holds the key. Time to learn how our brain constructs reality in order to know what is false and what is real. Time to understand what makes a liar's brain habituate to telling self-serving lies. Time to become trauma-preventative workplaces through understanding the way manipulation works and how even the smartest, most experienced brains can be fooled by the Dark Triad.
As author of "The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health" (2022) I was asked to present in the Masters Events at Oxford University Fall of 2024. The conference was on "Rupture and Repair" and my book is full of evidence-based practices, grounded in neuroscience, for repair and recovery. Most don't know that ALL forms of bullying / abuse can do physical damage to brain architecture and function. Most don't know the good news which is that the brain is wired to repair and recover.
At Oxford, I had an epiphany. Surrounded by brilliant authors and researchers into the ways to repair trauma, I became fully galvanized by my new approach in "The Gaslit Brain." It isn't trauma-informed or trauma-responsive. "The Gaslit Brain" is trauma-preventative. Our mental health experts and health professionals are staggering under the burden of today's mental illness. Time to include the brain and neuroscience research in our health and wellness journey. Time to halt trauma before it harms us and others. Time to protect our brains from the toxicity of lies and manipulations.
Her topic is How a Toxic Work Environment Affects The Children At Home
Our Speaker for our May 31, 2025 meeting is Nicole De Kay. She is an Industrial and Organization Psychologist.
I educate people about workplace abuse and trauma.
It’s a bummer. I know. But someone has to talk about it… People’s stress responses don’t turn off when they go to work.
Over 1/3 people in the US have severe trauma history and it’s impacting the way we work with each other.
When we know that managers impact our health more than doctors or therapists, it’s imperative that we give managers more tools to care for the health and wellness of the people they serve.
I teach people how to be trauma informed so they can reduce the cycles of harm in the workplace.
TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Labor Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) announced on Tuesday (April 29) that the draft amendment to the "Occupational Safety and Health Act" (職業安全衛生法), aimed at preventing workplace bullying, has been submitted to the Executive Yuan (行政院).
The Ministry of Labor (MOL, 勞動部) hopes to expedite the legislative process to reach the Legislative Yuan (立法院), responding to heightened public concern following a civil servant's suicide last November, confirmed as a result of workplace bullying.
The proposed amendment includes a dedicated chapter on preventing workplace bullying, clearly defining such behavior. It mandates employers to implement preventive measures according to the scale of their enterprises and strengthens internal complaints and protection mechanisms.Labor groups will hold a labor parade on May 1 with the theme "Anti-Bullying, Demand Protection" (反霸凌、要保障), underscoring the urgency of these reforms. Hung emphasized that the Occupational Safety and Health Act covers relevant preventive measures during the national model worker commendation ceremony.
Hung hoped the Legislative Yuan would swiftly review and pass the amendment, providing workers with greater protection and policy tools when facing legal issues. As the labor community rallies for change, the focus remains on legislative action to ensure safer workplaces.
Today. 05/31/2025, we are now a tax exempt organization that the IRS now considers us to be a Public Charity. We can now accept donations under the IRS Code sections 501(c)(3). All donors can now make donations to us tax free.
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. Because it is abusive it causes both emotional and stress-related physical harm.
Freedom from Bullies Week is a chance to break through the shame and silence surrounding bullying. It is a week to be daring and bold.
The power of workplace bullying is its ability to stay hidden in plain view. Make every workplace safe and take a stand against workplace bullying!