There’s nothing as great as a friendly work environment. It promotes teamwork and boosts morale. On the other hand, a hostile environment breeds workplace toxicity. Eventually, if not controlled, it could lead to workplace incivility, including bullying. Managers have a lot of influence on the workplace environment by the tone they set, how they respond to bullying incidents, and especially their use of hope.

Repeated micro-aggressive behavior toward a team member is considered bullying. For example, a manager who repeatedly makes comments like, “I’m your manager. I’m instructing you to work as directed,” or who repeatedly withholds important task information, expecting team members to beg for the information, is indirectly attempting to silence team members in the workplace. Workplace bullying is real, but it can be subtle. It cuts across demographics, irrespective of academic status, social pedigree, economic know-how, or relational influence.

Consequentially, 30 percent of American workers experience bullying. Bullying affects the victim’s mental well-being and interferes with their hope, which can lead to other mental health-related issues, including suicide. While there are laws that protect bullied victims, effective leadership should also find humane ways to relate to team members and systematically address the issue of bullying, including finding ways to restore hope in the workplace.

Hope is essential in every facet of life. When a workplace is charged and tense, workers’ hope is threatened, and the resulting environment of despair saps........

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