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Donald Trump on the campaign trail in Las Vegas, Nevada June 18, 2016. REUTERS/David Becker/Files

Sam Horn, author of Take the Bully by the Horns, a book on workplace bullying, pointed out that flouting the norms of decorum is nothing new for Donald Trump: In a 1989 interview with Larry King, he bluntly told the CNN host that his breath was bad, then admitted that throwing people off-guard was a tactic he used to shift the dynamic of power.

This is classic bullying behavior, Horn said. They will do or say anything in order to knock the person off balance in order to get control, she said.

A person going on the offensive solely to protect their ego is exhibiting a hallmark of narcissistic behavior, Spain said. Narcissism is largely about dominance. Its about making yourself feel big and important by making other people feel small and unimportant. In other words, a colleagues feelings or reputation arent collateral damage they were the target in the first place.

The example Trump sets is particularly likely to embolden bad bosses, according to Spain. Because narcissism is largely about dominance, its worst features are shown in hierarchical relationships, he said.

While this is bad news for the people stuck working under egomaniacs, these bosses also reinforce the nice-guys-finish-last ethos embraced by Trump in their own workplaces.

When we see behaviors in our leaders, its permissive, said career coach Brenda Abdilla, who said she has more clients today trying to cope with hostility or belittlement, particularly from bosses. It can encourage more bad behavior over time, she said.

A backlash against political correctness a favorite target of Trumps, both before and after the election also is shaping this dynamic. When the Workplace Bullying Institute surveyed employees on the prevalence of bullying at their jobs, it found that nearly one in 10 believe that other peoples perception of what constitutes bullying behavior is overblown a figure more than double what it was just three years ago.

Namie said this willingness to label others as overly sensitive accelerates a normalization of abusive behavior in the workplace. Thats the attack on civil behavior by calling it political correctness, he said.

Its setting a precedent where it becomes impossible to discipline people for standards of behavior, Horn warned. Companies and leaders arent holding bullies accountable.

But while a mere plea for civility in the office might fall on deaf ears, an appeal to the bottom line is another story. Experts say the best argument for not tolerating tantrums, tirades and takedowns is the negative effect they can have on a companys performance. While companies might tacitly condone boorish or inappropriate behavior in workers who possess key skills or bring in significant revenue, they wont be able to overlook collateral damage these employees inflict on the business.

The time it takes to address those situations takes away from other work to move strategic initiatives forward, said Robert Farmer, a human resources professional and a member of the Society for Human Resource Managements special expertise panel. From there, its going to start to impact productivity and performance, he said.

Obnoxious behavior has a ripple effect, Horn said. We think its only the person involved whos being hurt, but everyone witnessing it is also being affected by this behavior, she said. In families, sometimes theres a problem child and the problem child is often the one who gets all the attention [and] the good kids get ignored.

When good workers become disengaged or leave the company, dealing with the inevitable fallout wastes resources. With more turnover, the cost to train people multiplies, Cohen said. You have to pay a lot more to recruit and train people so they can be productive employees.

Companies need people to work together and share ideas, but employees wont do so if they face things like profanity and personal attacks. It shuts down communication so theyre no longer a team, Abdilla said.

Thats kind of scary, especially in an environment where youre trying to build collaboration, Letizia said. We need fresh innovation in American business. Businesses dont thrive if everyone is held under the thumb of a bully.

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Donald Trump Is Ruining Workplace Morale - NBCNews.com