Fall Workplace News 2004
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Workplace H E A L T H & S A F E T Y R E P O R T A Newsletter of The University of Iowa’s WORKSAFE IOWA Occupational Medicine Associates Network. Iowa’s university-affiliated statewide network of occupational medicine providers. Page 4 OSHA Launches Safety Web Page Page 4 Does Your Driver Need a DOT Page 6 ASK THE EXPERT for Residential Construction Physical and Medical Card? Vol. 12 No. 1 Fall 2004 Workplace Bullying working with…. many workers. A study of Michigan residents in 2000 estimated that 1 in 6 US workers had experienced bullying in the past year. This form of malicious mistreatment harms the mental and physical health of the target. It can also upset Diabetes co-workers, who withdraw from or blame the target, until the he Centers for Disease entire workplace is a fearful TControl and Prevention setting where social isolation estimates that 18.2 million hinders productivity as well as Americans or 6.3% of the relationships. Bullying is population have diabetes, different from unpleasant office 5.2 million of them as yet politics or general incivility. undiagnosed (CDC, 2003). It is not the behavior of a This chronic disease “tough” boss. It is repeated acts manifests in two main ways. (of commission and omission) Most diabetics (90-95%) are that interfere with an classified as Type 2, the employee’s productivity. relatively more mild condition No workplace is immune in which the body fails to make from bullying. Appalling stories use of the insulin produced (or orkplace violence is now coming into focus: are told by targets in places to produce enough of it). In the or harassment or bullying. More prevalent and where we expect people to past, Type 2 diabetes was a W disease of obese, sedentary discrimination make the more insidious than the have high personal integrity, headlines. Those incidents headline-grabbing behaviors, such as churches or medical adults; its increase among involve law-breaking and workplace bullying occurs in all centers, just as often as any American children and adoles- sometimes serious injury, even work environments, is engaged other workplaces. cents seems to be related to death. Meanwhile another in by men and women both, (Continued on page 2) growing childhood obesity. category of workplace behavior and has a negative impact on (Continued on page 4) Workplace H E A L T H & S A F E T Y R E P O R T Workplace Bullying Types & Tactics (Continued from page 1) Attention has been focused What makes someone a bully? recently on school-age bullies. If While bullies can adopt any tactic at any time, While they act in a dominat- supported by their peers and not Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie have grouped behaviors that ing and superior manner, stopped by adults, those children bullies are in fact “haunted will continue their dominating have been reported to them into four general types: by their own inadequacy,” behavior as adults, but there are according to Gary Namie, PhD. more bullies in the workplace Many people’s image of a bully A social psychologist, Namie than can be accounted for by is the Screaming MimiMimi— created and heads The schoolyard statistics. emotionally out of control, Workplace Bullying & Trauma dominating others through fear Institute (WBTI) with his wife How does a bully operate? and intimidation. This type, Ruth, a clinical psychologist. Depending on a bully’s however stereotypical, is rare, Since the mid-1990s, the position in the organization, and they usually do not attack Namies have focused on behavior takes two general their targets in public (the helping workers cope with forms. A bully in a superior Bobby Knights of the world bullying. Through a website, position has the power to being the exceptions). telephone hotline, directly humiliate or destroy and several books, they have a target—criticizing, insulting, More dangerous is the Constant become authorities on this making impossible demands. Critic who uses put-downs, phenomenon, in the process A co-worker or subordinate insults, belittling comments, gathering a great deal of may be more likely to spread cross-examination. They often information from targets. disinformation or to withhold operate behind closed doors Their most recent data on the resources such as time or and, lacking witnesses, problem come from “The information that a target needs can effectively conceal WBTI 2003 Report on Abusive to succeed (see “Types & Tactics their behavior. Workplaces,” a website survey left). Namie distinguishes completed by 1,000 volunteer between the “chronic bully” The 2-Headed Snake is a respondents. who truly wants to dominate passive-aggressive individual Survey data reveal that half people in every encounter in with an indirect, dishonest style of all bullies are women, and the and out of the workplace, and of dealing with people and majority (81%) are bosses, the “accidental” ones, who hurt issues. “Jekyll-Hyde” is another although co-workers also engage others with their comments or accurate descriptor; while they in bullying, and a few even actions but will apologize and torment their target, they manage to “bully up the ladder.” change their behavior when ingratiate themselves with Namie explains that bullying confronted. the higher-ups. is an insecure individual’s response to the perceived What makes someone The Gatekeeper works to control threat embodied by a bright, a target? all resources—not only money competent co-worker or Because they are targeted but time, supplies, staffing, subordinate (who must be by both male and female even praise and approval. They undermined). Bullies are not bullies, women make up 75-80% may keep the target out of the usually psychologically of the targets of bullying. A communication loop by disturbed. On the contrary, composite of a target from stopping memos or failing they are often quite perceptive Namie survey data would be to return calls. of their organization’s power an educated woman around 40, structures and skilled at employed by a corporation or maintaining strategic alliances. government agency for about Source for graphics: Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute 7 years. She would endure the 2 Workplace H E A L T H & S A F E T Y R E P O R T bullying for nearly two years associated with stress-related information.” But if the becoming the next target, for before leaving or losing her job health problems: anxiety, employer sides with the bully— example. To rationalize their (proving that the average target disrupted sleep, headaches, and his data show that many silence, they may justify cannot be dismissed as exhaustion, body aches, all the do—Namie emphasizes the the bullying: “it’s just tough someone thin-skinned or way to diagnosed clinical target must leave the job for management;” “that’s why they overly sensitive to criticism). depression and Post-Traumatic the sake of their health (see call it work” They may blame Attributes that contribute to Stress Disorder (including “An Ounce of Prevention” for the target, finding ways to “targethood” are: a cooperative recurrent memories and ways to approach future job characterize her as deserving attitude, a non-confrontational nightmares). Health can be interviews). or inviting the bullying. Saddest style, values of equity and further affected by the of all, they may choose to ally justice. Namie considers it financial stress of a lost job. themselves with the bully. ironic “in light of all the talk According to Namie’s data, about ‘team-ness’ being central What can someone do if they 77% of bullies involved others to successful work perfor- are targeted? in their manipulations. Male mance, that the people with a A target may well feel bullies tended to look for help more advanced stage of human powerless, which makes it even from higher-level managers, Bullies do not select development—the ability to more important to take steps while female bullies relied cooperate—fall prey to the to respond to the situation. targets at random. They more often on a target’s primitive, Neanderthal bullies.” One step that is psychological co-workers. will carefully calculate Bullies do not select targets valuable is to name the behavior As difficult as it may be, at random. They will carefully clearly: bullying—a situation and the amount of effort co-workers must stand with calculate the amount of effort behavior that they did nothing each other if bullying is to be compared to the payoff and to provoke or invite. Taking compared to the payoff stopped. Refusing to betray a look for a relatively easy mark. steps to care for physical and and look for a relatively co-worker will spoil a bully’s Behavior that might set mental health is also vital. Visits “divide and conquer” tactics. someone up as a target to health providers and legal easy mark. Sitting in on meetings as a includes self-denigrating counselors can help a target witness can tone down a bully modesty, or timidity of speech prepare to make decisions How are co-workers affected? (who may fear public expo- or behavior (Namie has heard clearly and calmly. The modern American sure). Providing testimony of an individual actually Many people shrink from workplace is a close-knit may produce retaliation by the walking backwards to listen trying to expose a bully, but system of people, and in a bully, but how much worse is as a more powerful person Namie points out that a target bullying situation co-workers that outcome than continuing is speaking). has a 7 in 10 chance of losing may well develop the same to work in an environment Workers may be targeted, his or her job once the bully stress-related symptoms as laden with fear? Namie of course, even if they don’t selects them, so the risk has targets.