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Are you a victim of workplace bullying?
Workplace bullying has fast
become a heated topic for discussion, with
government and other professional
organisation’s launching special task forces
with a mission to raise awareness, devise
and implement proactive measures in order to
combat and eliminate harassment in our
places of employment. In my opinion, this
has not come quickly enough, with many
workers being subject to workplace bullying,
whether in a passive or a directly
confrontational way without recourse. So
what is workplace bullying?
Workplace bullying has been defined as:
... continued and deliberate
unfair, unjust or abusive treatment of an
individual at work by one or more
co-workers, supervisors, managers or
customers.
Some Statistics:
· 21%
or 1 in 5 US workers are bullied;
· 81%
of bullies are bosses;
· 41%
of bullied individuals were diagnosed with
depression;
· over
80% reported health effects such as sever
anxiety, lost concentration, sleeplessness;
· 31%
of female and 21% of male victims suffered
from post traumatic stress disorder;
· 82%
of bullied individuals lost their jobs (44%
involuntary departure, 38% voluntary);
· in
51% of cases Human Resources did nothing to
help the victim despite requests; in 32% of
cases HR supported the bully by reacting
negatively to the victim.
· In
the US, work related diseases including
stress account for a total cost of $26
billion annually.
[Source: US Hostile Workplace
Survey 2000, CAWB]
Is your place of work a toxic
environment? Take the test:
· Does
your workplace have a high staff turnover
rate?
· Is
there a high percentage of staff
absenteeism?
· Are
staff morale levels low?
· Are
productivity and performance levels low?
· Does
there seem to be an ever increasing
percentage
of stress claims?
If you are a victim of Workplace Bullying
don’t put up with it. Report it immediately.
While workplace bullying
should not be tolerated and reported to the
senior management immediately there are a
number of strategies you can follow in order
to address certain situations, before they
escalate out of control.
In a situation where a
colleague or supervisor throws burning
criticism or downgrading and spiteful
comments continuously, rather than providing
constructive feedback, don’t let this type
of behaviour continue to rob you of your
self-esteem. Instead, try implementing the
following communication strategies in order
to diffuse verbal abuse with dignity.
You may be confronted with:
“This is terrible! Even the
cleaner would have had fewer errors in this
report”, or “I don’t know why you were hired
– you’re not pulling your weight at all!”
· Don’t
become defensive or respond in kind by
yelling abuse back in return. This will only
add fuel to the fire and allow the abuser to
see that they have successfully manipulated
you into becoming upset.
· Try
to respond instantly and calmly to these
comments so that the abuser does not think
you are an easy target. Instead, request
respect for yourself and refuse to accept
this harmful and unnecessary language: ask
the abuser to stop this type of behaviour.
· Don’t
wave your fist or clench your teeth, but
rather try to remain as calm and collected
as possible.
· Endeavour
to maintain a cool and flat tone of voice,
with the volume low and words spaced evenly.
“Ask the person to be specific in their
comments, as hopefully by asking them to
validate their comments may cease their
broad and unhelpful comments. “In what
specific way am I not pulling my weight?” or
“Exactly what is it about this report that
you do not believe is correct?”
· Record
each and every event so that you have
documented proof of each of the occurrences.
[Keep this record at home and not in your
workplace.]
· Assess
and evaluate your workplace culture to see
whether these type of bullying tactics are
accepted or whether this is just an isolated
incident. If rife within the organisation
you may wish to re-evalute your desire to
work for such an organisation.
· Look
after yourself both physically and
emotionally. Perhaps talk about this with
someone outside your organisation.
· Use
your support network: friends and family may
be able to provide assistance.
· Approach
your HR department, Supervisor or Manager
and request support and assistance in
dealing with this situation. [They should do
all in their power to stop the
harassment/bullying].
· If
all else fails, consult a lawyer who
specialises in Workplace Issues.
· Seek
support from a Therapist / Counsellor.
If
you would like speak to someone regarding
your workplace particularly if bullying is
evident please do not hesitate to contact
me. My direct email is:
annemarie@annemariecross.com.
To your success!
Annemarie
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A personal note from Annemarie...
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