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 Friday, 23rd November 2007

Hi,

Welcome to another edition of Career Communiqué x-Press. I hope you have had a productive and successful fortnight.

While attending a business networking meeting, I overheard two people talking about one of their colleagues in a not-so-positive way. I was so tempted to say something, however decided to bite my lip and walk away. The entire experience took me straight back to my childhood, when often children would congregate in the courtyard and pick on anyone that did not fit in with their particular ‘style’. Fortunately, children are now taught from a very young age, that it is not ok to gossip, pick on, or bully others, but rather, they should treat their fellow students with respect and kindness. Perhaps it would be an idea to take these lessons and run them within the workplace, as unfortunately, all too often workplaces can be the breeding ground for gossip and bullying.

I thought I would re-run one of our previous articles on Workplace Bullying, in the hope that it will raise your awareness on this very important topic.

My coaching request for you this fortnight is that each time you are in communication with a colleague, for you to stop and think about what you are actually saying to make sure your words and your intent is supportive, positive and continues to strengthen workplace alliances, collaboration and overall performance.

Are your words going to uplift your colleagues’ morale and self confidence, or will your words destroy their self esteem? Are your instructions being portrayed in a clear and supportive manner, or could you be considered as ‘talking down’ to them? Or, if you are having a break with a few other colleagues in the staff room, could what you are saying about other staff members in the office be considered as gossip (and possibly soul destroying should that staff member hear these comments) and more importantly, how would it be if people were saying similar things about you?

Remember, we always welcome contact and feedback from our subscribers and visitors, so pop across to our Ask Annemarie site and submit your topic of interest, question or comment. Or pop across to our Career Communiqué blog. We'd love to hear from you!

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Strategies to avert Workplace Bullying.

If you (or someone you know) have found yourself at the receiving end of a workplace bully, this fortnight’s article offers you some clear steps on how to address.

In this issue...

Coach's Corner:   Strategies to avert Workplace Bullying.

Ace that Interview:  Visualise Success to calm interview jitters.

Resources & Tools to Catapult Your Career:  

 

 Coach's Corner

Strategies to avert 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-evaluate 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 have any questions around how you can develop a powerful cover letter please do not hesitate to email me at Annemarie@annemariecross.com.

To your success!

Annemarie
 

 Ace that Interview!

Visualise Success to calm interview jitters.

This week, each and every one of my coaching clients, have asked the same question “How can I calm my nerves so that I can answer the questions properly without stumbling over my words.”

Last fortnight’s Ace that Interview snippet identifies a great strategy (that I even use myself if I am nervous about an upcoming presentation), which you should find extremely helpful in calming your nerves.

Here is what you should do:

Put aside about 20 minutes each night for three nights. Close your eyes and envision the interview in as much detail as possible. See yourself being able to develop and maintain a solid rapport with the interviewer and responding professionally and articulately to each question. That's right! View yourself being able to answer those tricky questions effortlessly, as well as being able to relay your expertise in a way that qualifies your ability to meet the expectations of the company perfectly. That's right! See everything going extremely positive all the way through to the successful end.

As simple as this technique may seem, it is a very powerful way to set yourself up to succeed. Try it!

Want to learn more ways to improve your interviewing skills? Grab your copy of 10 key steps to Ace that Interview! today Send me Ace that Interview today! 

Need to get your hands on 10 key steps to Ace that Interview! immediately for an unexpected interview? Get a copy of our new e-Book version delivered to your inbox today! Send me Ace that Interview today! 

Note: Want to learn more about how our laser-focused interview telecoaching sessions can drastically improve your interview performance? Click here to find out how.

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