Small Business Today Magazine SEP 2014 ELP ENTERPRISES | Page 38
EDITORIALFEATURE
Your Business’s
Silent Killer
By Dawn Haynes
I
f you are over the age of 40, you may remember the public service announcements from
years ago created to raise public awareness of
high blood pressure or hypertension. It was
during this time that it became dubbed “the silent
killer”. Over the years, we have learned that untreated high blood pressure significantly increases
the risk of heart disease and stroke—the first and
third most common causes of death in the US.
Hypertension can also damage the kidneys and
increase the risk of blindness and dementia. This
silent killer wreaks serious systemic havoc even as
we remain completely unaware of its presence.
And left untreated, any one of these side effects
can result in death.
Did you know that, quiet as it is kept, your business may have been or could be at risk for another kind of “silent killer”? This silent killer sucks
the financial lifeblood out of our companies and
has, based on one study, an overall economic impact to the tune of somewhere between $6 and
$14.8 billion per year. It eats its way through approximately 10% of company profits via employee turnover; reduced morale; loss of productivity;
lost time; negative impact on company reputation;
increased medical costs in the form of sick leaves,
health insurance costs; and worker’s compensation claims. In some instances, there are also increased legal costs and rehabilitation costs.
It is a silent killer because one 2014 workplace
survey found that while 72% of American employees are aware and acknowledge that it exists
in the workplace and 48% of whom are either
directly or indirectly affected, only 18% of all employers take actions to stop it while 72% either
condone or explicitly sustain it because, sadly, it
is not illegal. So, what is this silent killer and why
aren’t employers more concerned?
It is workplace bullying. And while a small percentage (5%) of employers actually actively encourage workplace bullying, I believe the overwhelming majority of employers treat it the same
36 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ SEPTEMBER 2014 ]
It is a silent killer because one
2014 workplace survey found
that while 72% of American
employees are aware and acknowledge that it exists in the
workplace and 48% of whom
are either directly or indirectly
affected, only 18% of all employers take actions to stop it
while 72% either condone or
explicitly sustain it because,
sadly, it is not illegal. So, what is
this silent killer and why aren’t
employers more concerned?
way most of us typically treat the shortness of
breath indicative of heart disease; the sudden severe headache that warns of a stroke; the change
in urination that accompanies compromised kidney function; or the changes in reasoning and judgment that warn of dementia. They simply don’t
see it as anything to be taken seriously or as being
indicative of a bigger or more systemic problem
- the kind of problem that, left unchecked, could
have any number of dire consequences.
You may be thinking,“I’m a solo practitioner”, or,
“I’m not a bullying boss.” “So, why should I care?”
Perhaps you should care because workplace bullying doesn’t always occur from the top down.
But more on that next time; until then, wishing
you continued small business success—safely!
Dawn Haynes, the Toolbox Diva™, is the CEO, (Chief Empowerment Officer) of 2EmpowerU, (formerly Fight or Flight Self
Defense). You can contact Dawn by email at [email protected], by phone at 713-298-6301, or visit her website at
www.2empowerU.net.