The Healthy Workplace Bill is a status-blind discrimination protection for employees. The bill is both preventative and retributive. Humans deserve the right to a healthy work environment and a peaceful life. Bullying is unnecessarily predominant in the workforce and requires the proper actions to cease these acts of cruelty.

Bullying is an act of arbitrary harassment including verbal abuse, humiliation, mental or physical intimidation, sabotage, and interference with work. This demeanor creates harm to a targets’ health, socialization, and economic livelihood. Unfortunately, approximately 49% of all working adults in the U.S. are affected by the detrimental effects of workplace bullying and only about 20% of those individuals are protected by current federal and state laws. The Healthy Workplace Bill is a preventative measure; and is beneficial to employers and employees collectively without increasing or compromising the expenditures of the government.

Globalization is occurring rapidly and creates a demand for our Nations to maintain the pace of this phenomenon. Sweden pioneered the movement in anti-bullying with their VICTIMISATION AT WORK ordinance in 1994. The advance on civil liberties and human rights within the workplace has swept the globe. Countries including Europe, Australia, Africa, and even Canada are participating in this progression. Sadly, The U.S. is the last of the western democracies to acknowledge or participate in this transformation.

Although the term “bully” is often associated with childish teasing, the aftermath is far more detrimental based on the type of actions used to execute this behavior. The offender is required to adapt to the utilization of alternative dispute resolution tactics. Taking responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions encourage reconciliation rather than abusive conduct. The Healthy Workplace Bill does omit this conduct as simply bullying and defines an abusive work environment. The magnitude of the seriousness behind our core interest has been publicly noticed by more than 875 appearances on mainstream media sources including CNN and The New York Times. Proudly, the bill has been introduced to 19 states so far. I encourage you to sponsor our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for our families, friends, and neighbors here in New Mexico.