We hear a lot about bullying in our schools. It occurs in school hallways, classrooms, and athletic fields. But what happens to the bully when they graduate and go into the workforce? Does it carry over into the workplace? I think it does and perhaps even more bullies are created by the power associated with management positions. According to Merriam-Webster, bullying is the "abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful." Wikipedia describes bullying in the workplace as "a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the workplace that causes either physical or emotional harm. It can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation."
I personally have seen or heard of many cases of bullying in the workplace with little action being taken. Only a fraction of bullying incidents are reported to Human Resources. I believe a lot of that has to do with what appears to be little action by Human Resources to correct the bullying behavior after its been reported. Bullying can come in the forms of being disrespectful to a co-worker, setting up a co-worker to appear as they are failing in their job, to not giving someone a voice in a meeting or not taking seriously what they have to say, or a manager belittling an employee in public or in private.
The cost of bullying in the workplace can be:
Emotional strain to the bullied employee in both their work and private lives
Frustration and resentment in the team environment
Fear of retaliation if reported
Suppression of good ideas from bullied employees who become quiet for the fear of further bullying
Loss of a good employee.
No one should need to work in an environment where they are bullied in any manner by another employee. I will take it even further beyond employee to another human being. If you truly believe that all of us are created equal, then every thought, idea, and person is of equal importance and should be treated as such. Good managers are ones that can motivate their team by leading with respect and ensuring that the employees show the same respect to each other.
I think many times the person doing the bullying doesn't realize they are being a bully. They may think it is just part of their Type A personality. That is why it is important for employees who are bullied to call out the bully either privately or through Human Resources. It is the only way the situation and behavior will change unless of course the bully suddenly has a self-realization that they are a bully.
I was told one time, "Dave, this is business" when I was being "managed". When our judgment day comes, are we going to tell God that how we treated someone at the office or workplace was business so it was okay? I don't believe so. I think we should always treat our fellow human beings with the same respect as we would inside or outside of the office.
My questions to you are:
Do you think there is bullying in the office or workplace?
Have you personally been bullied or seen bullying and if you have, what did you do about it?
Do you believe your actions could ever have been interpreted as bullying?
Feel free to share your thoughts!
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