Slaying the
Workplace Bully

"A high-performing, respectful workplace isn’t just good leadership. It’s good business."

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.

lori apostal

Welcome.

  Workplace bullying remains one of the most persistent and damaging problems in organizations today. I’ve spent most of my career in healthcare, but every industry tells me the same story. I’ve seen great people have their careers derailed. I’ve watched others simply become shells of themselves. That’s not acceptable.This book exists because that needs to change.  Most leaders want to do the right thing. But competing priorities, complex dynamics, and the pressure to keep things running get in the way. What I’ve learned is that demonstrating the true financial cost — showing leaders in real dollars what ignoring or sugar coating workplace bullying is actually costing them — is often what finally moves organizations to act.  Doing the right thing and protecting your bottom line turn out to be the same decision.
— Lori Apostal  Lori is an accomplished executive with multiple provincial honours for leadership in complex health systems.
  She has led organizations through financial crises, cultural dysfunction, and high-stakes operational challenges.  Her leadership has been recognized with the CARNA Award for Nursing Excellence in Administration, the CARNA Centennial Award, and provincial recognition for service during the Fort McMurray wildfires.

Raymond Aaron

New York Times Top 10 Bestselling Author  Raymond Aaron has committed his life to teaching you how to dramatically improve your life. Raymond transforms your life and income by helping you tap into your own potential.  Raymond has traveled the world delivering over 5,000 speeches in 5 continents for over 40 years teaching his unique methods to branding, doubling your income and creating wealth.  He is the author of 147 books, including Branding Small Business For Dummies, Double Your Income Doing What You Love and the New York Times best-seller Chicken Soup for the Parents Soul and the Canadian best-seller, Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul. He is also an avid adventurer having completed one of the world’s toughest races, Polar Race (a 350 mile month-long foot-race to the Magnetic North Pole at -40˚ hauling a 100-pound sled, dodging polar bears).

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.

Workplace bullying is one of the most complex challenges any leader will face

  Perhaps a top performer handed in their resignation and something shifted in how you saw the situation. Or an HR complaint landed on your desk and the weight of it hit you all at once. Or you witnessed something directly and realized it had probably been going on longer than you knew.  Whatever brought you here, you may be:
Uncertain about how to act without making things worse?
Worried about losing someone you think you can’t afford to lose?
Unsure how this is affecting your company’s bottom line?  What most leaders discover afterward is that their best people were simply waiting for permission to shine.
  That’s not weakness. That’s what happens when good leaders face a complex problem without the right tools.  Workplace bullying costs organizations up to $100,000 per employee annually. But the human cost — to your team, your culture, and your own confidence as a leader — runs even deeper.

Inside the Book

10 Things This Book Will Teach You

Whether you've just seen the signs or you're already in the middle of it — here's what you'll walk away with.

01
Understand the true cost of toxic behaviour
Workplace bullying creates measurable financial damage through turnover and lost productivity.
02
High performer standards
Know when holding a high performer to a lower standard is costing you more than you realize.
03
The cost of silence
Understand why silence isn't neutral and what your team concludes when you don't act.
04
Recognize the bully archetypes
Identify the 10 archetypes — from the obvious to the covert.
05
Drive results
Move beyond good intentions and take specific leadership actions.
06
Build safety
Create conditions where people feel safe enough to speak up and do their best work.
07
Psychological safety
Build a culture by design, not by default, with clear standards.
08
Lead through aftermath
What credible leadership looks like after trust has been broken.
09
End micromanagement
Replace micromanaging with accountability that frees your people.
10
Sustainable Systems
Use the Executive Playbook framework to build structures that make a respectful workplace last.

What happens when nothing changes?

  Unaddressed workplace bullying doesn’t stay contained. It spreads quietly through your organization in ways that are hard to see until the damage is done.  Your best people leave — and take their institutional knowledge with them. But the ones who stay are often just surviving. Not because they aren’t talented or committed — but because so much of their energy goes into navigating the environment, staying out of harm’s way, and simply making it through the day without becoming a target.  Productivity drops not from lack of ability but from exhaustion. New ideas stop surfacing because people don’t feel safe enough to voice them. And the longer it goes unaddressed, the harder it becomes to lead. Trust erodes. Silence starts to feel like complicity. You didn’t create this problem. But you have the power to end it.

Imagine walking into your organization and feeling the difference.

Your best people are there.
  They are energized, creative, and at ease. People who aren’t spending their day dodging a bully have so much more to give. Their energy is back where it belongs, their ideas are flowing, and their confidence is no longer held hostage by someone else’s behavior. Finally able to do what they do best.  When your people shine, you shine. Productivity is up because people are channeling their energy into their work. New ideas are flowing because people feel safe enough to voice them.  As a leader, you feel something you may not have felt in a while;Clear headed.
Confident.
In control of your culture in a way that feels sustainable.  You know what to look for, how to respond, and how to have the conversations that actually change things.

Is Your Organization at Risk?

7 questions. 2 minutes.

Ready to discover if workplace bullying is costing your organization?

window.sqManualStart = function() { document.getElementById('sq-init-ui').classList.add('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-quiz-ui').classList.remove('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-nav-ui').classList.remove('sq-hidden'); window.sqDraw(); }; const qs = [ { t: "When a high-performing employee is reported for bullying behaviour, what typically happens?", o: [{l:"It's addressed the same way regardless",s:0},{l:"Conversation, but rarely consequences",s:1},{l:"Documented but not acted on",s:2},{l:"Nothing — they're too valuable",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Rules are appearing optional for high performers." : null }, { t: "When you sit in team meetings, how does the energy feel?", o: [{l:"Open and energized",s:0},{l:"Generally fine",s:1},{l:"Guarded",s:2},{l:"Tense — walking on eggshells",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Tension is a clear signal of toxic behavior." : null }, { t: "How would you describe turnover among top performers?", o: [{l:"Low",s:0},{l:"Some attrition",s:1},{l:"Losing good people, unsure why",s:2},{l:"It's a pattern",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Losing talent is an expensive culture symptom." : null }, { t: "How many new ideas come from frontline teams?", o: [{l:"Regularly",s:0},{l:"Occasionally",s:1},{l:"Rarely",s:2},{l:"Almost never",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Innovation silence means people don't feel safe." : null }, { t: "What happened with the last difficult interpersonal situation?", o: [{l:"Addressed directly",s:0},{l:"Conversation, no resolution",s:1},{l:"Managed around",s:2},{l:"Still unresolved",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Unresolved conflict emboldens toxic behavior." : null }, { t: "How comfortable are employees reporting bullying?", o: [{l:"Very",s:0},{l:"Somewhat",s:1},{l:"Not very",s:2},{l:"Not at all",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Fear of reporting creates a liability risk." : null }, { t: "How confident are you identifying a bully today?", o: [{l:"Very",s:0},{l:"Somewhat",s:1},{l:"Not very",s:2},{l:"Not at all",s:3}], i: (s) => s >= 2 ? "⚠️ Covert bullying goes undetected without a framework." : null } ]; let uA = []; let idx = 0; window.sqDraw = function() { const q = qs[idx]; document.getElementById('sq-n').innerText = "Question " + (idx + 1) + " of " + qs.length; document.getElementById('sq-t').innerText = q.t; document.getElementById('sq-bar').style.width = ((idx / qs.length) * 100) + "%"; const o = document.getElementById('sq-options'); o.innerHTML = ''; ['A','B','C','D'].forEach((letter, i) => { const btn = document.createElement('button'); btn.className = 'sq-btn' + (uA[idx] === i ? ' selected' : ''); btn.innerHTML = '' + letter + '' + '  ' + q.o[i].l; btn.onclick = function() { uA[idx] = i; window.sqDraw(); }; o.appendChild(btn); }); document.getElementById('sq-back').classList.toggle('sq-hidden', idx === 0); const nxt = document.getElementById('sq-next'); nxt.disabled = uA[idx] === undefined; nxt.innerText = idx === qs.length - 1 ? 'See Results →' : 'Next →'; }; window.sqN = function() { if (uA[idx] !== undefined) { if (idx < qs.length - 1) { idx++; window.sqDraw(); } else { window.sqRes(); } } }; window.sqB = function() { if (idx > 0) { idx--; window.sqDraw(); } }; window.sqRes = function() { const s = uA.reduce((v, a, i) => v + qs[i].o[a].s, 0); const p = Math.round((s / 21) * 100); document.getElementById('sq-stage').classList.add('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-results').classList.remove('sq-hidden'); const tag = document.getElementById('sq-tag'); const h = document.getElementById('sq-res-h'); const d = document.getElementById('sq-res-p'); const cta = document.getElementById('sq-cta'); if (p <= 25) { tag.innerText = 'Low Risk'; tag.style.background = '#e8f5e9'; tag.style.color = '#2e7d32'; h.innerText = 'Culture looks relatively healthy.'; d.innerText = 'Accountability is strong, but stay vigilant.'; cta.innerText = 'Spot the 10 bully archetypes before they start.'; } else if (p <= 60) { tag.innerText = 'Moderate Risk'; tag.style.background = '#fff8e1'; tag.style.color = '#f57f17'; h.innerText = 'Warning signs present.'; d.innerText = 'Gaps are creating openings for toxic behavior.'; cta.innerText = 'The Five Pillars playbook gives you the frameworks to close these gaps.'; } else { tag.innerText = 'High Risk'; tag.style.background = '#fce4ec'; tag.style.color = '#c62828'; h.innerText = 'Significant hidden costs detected.'; d.innerText = 'Toxic behavior is likely established, impacting retention and costs.'; cta.innerText = 'The Executive Playbook helps you act with confidence.'; } const fl = document.getElementById('sq-f'); fl.innerHTML = '

Findings:

'; uA.forEach((a, i) => { const ins = qs[i].i(qs[i].o[a].s); if (ins) { const dv = document.createElement('div'); dv.style.margin = "10px 0"; dv.style.fontSize = "14px"; dv.innerText = ins; fl.appendChild(dv); } }); }; window.sqR = function() { uA = []; idx = 0; document.getElementById('sq-stage').classList.remove('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-results').classList.add('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-init-ui').classList.remove('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-quiz-ui').classList.add('sq-hidden'); document.getElementById('sq-nav-ui').classList.add('sq-hidden'); };

You’ve seen what’s possible. The path forward is clearer than you think.

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.

Contact

For speaking engagements, consulting,
or media inquiries:

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.

Thank you for reaching out. I am looking forward to talking with you. Please allow 2-3 business days to receive a response.

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.

Your next step is simpler than you think.

Every leader comes to this differently. Start wherever makes sense for you.

Step 1:
Get the Free Cost Calculator
  See the true financial impact of workplace bullying in your organization. The numbers may surprise you.
(You will also receive the free field guide to help you assess your organizations culture.)Sign up to my mailing list below and receive both now.

Step 2:
Read the Book
  Get the complete framework — the Four Truths, 10 Archetypes, and Five Pillars with 15 ready-to-use tools. Everything you need to understand and address workplace bullying systematically.

Step 3:
(COMING SOON – EXECUTIVE TOOLKIT)

Wherever you start, you’re already doing something most leaders don’t — you’re taking it seriously.

© 2025 Lori Apostal. All rights reserved.