“Workplace bullying in any form Bullying can strike at any age, with catastrophic consequences for is bad for business. It destroys people’s lives. For children, it can mean isolation, despair and even suicide. For adults, it is a bewildering and demeaning experience that teamwork, commitment and can have equally damaging results. morale.” Because bullying is so often associated with children, it can be Tony Morgan, former Chief Executive, The Industrial Society especially harmful in the workplace, where people are supposed to be grown up and where no one wants to be seen to be sensitive, vulnerable “Life is a fight, but not everyone’s a or troublesome. fighter. Otherwise, bullies would be It can come in many forms – racial, sexual, or just plain personal – but it an endangered species.” can still be difficult to identify. Is a boss being a bully, or is he just being Andrew Vachss, American author and a strong and effective manager? Are my colleagues bullying me, or are children’s rights lawyer they just having some light-hearted fun? “Courage is fire and bullying But be under no illusions. Bullying in the workplace is real, can come is smoke.” from any level of the organisation and it is on the rise. It is also illegal, Benjamin Disraeli, Former British Prime Minister and if it is happening to you, you can do something about it. (1804-1881)
Know also that no one should ever have to deal with bullying alone.
solutions Workforce Development Specialists ...Increasing Profits, Performance and Reducing Sickness Absence Bullying in the Workplace 1 W. www.fullyfocusedsolutions.co.uk How bad is it?
If you’re an employee, bullying could wreck your career. If safety representatives said bullying was a major problem in you’re an employer, it could cost you your company. their workplace. That compared with 12 percent two years previously and 10 percent in 2002. According to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), more than two million people are bullied at work every day. Some 18.9 “Bullying is bad for business and for people,” said TUC million working days are lost to industry every year through General Secretary Brendan Barber. “Bullies in the workplace bullying, and it costs individual companies between eight must not go unchallenged and should not be given free rein and 10 percent of their annual profits on top of the threat of to intimidate and victimise their colleagues. For individuals costly litigation. who are targeted by the office bully, the taunting and the jibes can severely damage their work and their home lives.” Research released in 2006 to coincide with National Ban Bullying at Work Day showed that 15 percent of union
What is it?
The Andrea Adams Trust, a charity devoted to tackling workplace bullying that closed in 2009, has pointed out that bullying creeps up on you long before you are aware of what is really going on. It is a gradual, corrosive form of chronic abuse that makes people feel shamed and inadequate, not just at work, but often in their home lives as well.
Most bullying is not physical violence. It is psychological, and frequently covert, which makes it hard to spot at first . Obvious examples include:
• Direct violence or insults Sadly, colleagues are capable of inflicting appalling • Labelling or name-calling damage by: • Sexual or racial slurs • Demeaning or ridiculing jokes • Spreading malicious rumours • Excluding or ignoring you • Deliberately undermining you in front of your boss • Taking random disciplinary action against you • Withholding information to make you look stupid • Less obvious forms of sexual harassment But there are subtler forms. Bullying by managers • Excluding you from work or social events can include: Broadly stated, bullying represents the use of position, • Intrusive supervision status or power to coerce others by fear, persecution or • Blocking promotion or training opportunities threat. It can also take many forms. It can be directed at • Setting impossible deadlines an individual or at a group. It can happen face to face, or • Giving you menial or trivial tasks it can take place in writing or via e-mail, text messages or • Refusing holiday time websites.
What about colleagues?
It is not just bosses who bully. Anyone who has ever spent if you object. “I was only teasing,” they say, often in front of time on a school playground (so that’s pretty much all of us) other colleagues, “don’t be so sensitive”. knows that children can be terrifyingly cruel to each other. Our earliest, most primitive instincts emphasise the Unfortunately it’s the same with adults. importance of belonging to a group, our survival depends on There can, for instance, be a fine line between teasing and it. So excluding someone from activities (be they meetings, bullying. If an office bully makes a joke at your expense, he morning coffee, or an after-work drink) can be painful and or she might then accuse you of having no sense of humour harmful. If it is done over time, it can make life intolerable.
Bullying in the Workplace 2 A bully or a strong manager?
Crucially, it can be very difficult to discriminate between common practice across the management hierarchy. This bullying and a pro-active management style. Some bosses is especially the case in highly competitive environments like to take a firm line with employees in order to ‘get the where many individuals consider bullying as the accepted job done’. Some employees even respond well to this kind method of motivating staff. As such it becomes part of the of direction. company’s culture, ignored or silently condoned by those at the top and quietly but resentfully accepted by everybody The Andrea Adams Trust has said that the line between else. bullying and strong management is crossed when “the target of the bullying is persistently downgraded with the Experts agree that bullying is intimately linked to intent. A result that they begin to show signs of being distressed, boss can be rigorous and forthright without interfering with becoming either physically, mentally or psychologically the rights and wellbeing of others. The trouble starts when hurt”. there is a purposeful, malicious agenda, when intimidating, upsetting or humiliating someone becomes more important The charity also says that bullying thrives where it becomes than the job or task itself.
What are the effects of bullying?
Because bullying thrives in a culture of fear, it is not readily • Constant tiredness discussed between colleagues. This means that the person • Skin complaints or group affected can start to internalize the criticism, • Loss of appetite perhaps believing eventually that it’s all their fault after all. • Panic attacks • Irritability It saps self-confidence and leaves people feeling abandoned • Mood swings and angry. Although the person targeted by a bully might • Loss of interest in sex fantasise about scenarios of revenge, the anger often has no • Loss of self-esteem outlet, so it will turn inwards, leading to a set of symptoms • Lack of motivation that has an awful lot in common with severe depression. • Obsessiveness and withdrawal
These include: (Source: Mind)
• Interrupted sleep patterns At its most extreme, the end result for the individual can be • Nausea career breakdown, marital problems, and even suicide. • Sweating and shaking
What does the law say?
There are numerous pieces of legislation that can be brought duty to protect their employees from harm of this kind, as set to bear on cases of bullying and harassment. out in Protection from Harassment 1997 (Source: www.myemploymentlaw.co.uk) These include:
• Disability Discrimination Act 2004 • Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 • Employment Rights Act 1996 • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 • Race Relations Act 1977 • Sex Discrimination Act 1975
Most people are aware that you can take legal action against employers if you are bullied because of your sex, age, race or disability. But employers also need to be sensitive to their
Bullying in the Workplace 3 So what should I do?
There is a tremendous amount you can do in response to Avoid direct confrontation. Despite the traditional wisdom bullying, long before you ever need to reach a court-room. that bullies need to be confronted, it is normally best to steer clear of the perpetrator. Confrontation will often enrage a Here are ten ideas: tyrannical figure. Avoid situations where you are alone with the bully. Name it. As we have seen, bullying is often covert, gradual, and hard to identify. If you are feeling constantly got at and Value yourself. Remember that bullies are cowards who, for criticized, even though you know your work is as good as the most part, target people who they feel threatened by. If it always was; if you’re beginning to question yourself and you are being bullied, it may be because you are an above- doubt your own abilities, despite no evidence to back that average performer. Whatever the reason for the abuse, up; if you are feeling targeted and alone, you need to realize though, it is the bully who has already lost … not you. what is going on. Keep a record of your work. Get a copy of your contract and Do not isolate. Bullies thrive on paranoia. If you allow terms of reference to check that you have been meeting all yourself to become separated and silenced, the effects of the your work obligations. Keep copies of your appraisals and all abuse will be much, much worse. Talk to colleagues to see if other documentation related to your ability to do your job. they are experiencing the same treatment. If that doesn’t feel comfortable, make an appointment to see your company HR Document the abuse. Keep a private log of dates and details manager. of incidents and try and get witnesses to these events. Also You could also talk to your trade union representative, a keep a record of letters, e-mails, faxes and text messages health and safety officer, or an equal opportunities adviser. that may be deemed abusive. There is also a free helpline for legal advice through ACAS. Know the policy. Find out if your employer has a policy and Talk to friends and family for emotional support. Seek procedures on harassment and bullying and obtain a copy. counseling if you are feeling overwhelmed or would like to Follow the company grievance procedure. discuss the situation with an independent and neutral party. Do not take action alone. Make sure you have discussed your case with all the relevant parties before moving ahead.
Stay safe. If, as a last resort, you feel that you really want to leave your job, do not view that as a failure. It can be a positive decision to take control of your life and leave behind a toxic environment that what was not doing you any good.
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