Bullying More Damaging Than Sexual Harrassment

Excerpts from an article posted on Management-Stress.com:

Divide and rule, generating conflict to create a more competitive environment, pushing people hard to help them fulfil their potential – there has always been a fine line between challenging, motivational management and bullying.

But according to new research, managers who step over that line do more harm than if they were sexually harassing their team.

A study by Canadian academics has concluded that a bullying culture of belittling comments, persistent criticism and withholding of resources can inflict more damage on employees than even sexual harassment.

Bullying, it argued, included persistently criticising employees' work, yelling, repeatedly reminding employees of mistakes, spreading gossip or lies, ignoring or excluding workers and insulting employees' habits, attitudes or private life. Other bullying behaviours included hostility, verbal aggression and angry exchanges.

While both bullying and sexual harassment clearly created negative work environments and had unhealthy consequences for employees, the researchers found workplace aggression had the more severe consequences.

Employees who experienced bullying, incivility or interpersonal conflict were more likely to quit their jobs, it found. They also had lower well-being, were less satisfied with their jobs and had less satisfying relations with their bosses than employees who were sexually harassed. Furthermore, bullied employees reported more job stress, lower job commitment and higher levels of anger and anxiety.

"As sexual harassment becomes less acceptable in society, organizations may be more attuned to helping victims, who may therefore find it easier to cope," said lead author M Sandy Hershcovis, of the University of Manitoba.

"In contrast, non-violent forms of workplace aggression such as incivility and bullying are not illegal, leaving victims to fend for themselves," she added.

"Bullying is often more subtle, and may include behaviours that do not appear obvious to others," said Hershcovis.

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If you believe yourself to be the target of workplace bullying, there are some things you absolutely must do.

• The first and most important thing you must do is DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT. Write down every incident that occurs. It is vital that your record the date, time, place, and what was said or done by whom. If you have to begin a journal to accomplish this, do so. If you can keep the record on a notepad in your hip pocket, do so. However you can best achieve this record keeping is up to you, but you must do it or there will be no record of what's been happening when you try to end the bullying behavior.
• After you've documented the instances of bullying or abuse, there are some steps you can take to address the problem. One step is to confront the boss in person. Only you would know if this is an option for you, but I've known some bosses who, when confronted with their own negative behavior, were shocked and apologetic, not realizing they were even conducting themselves this way. They worked hard on changing their ways, after the big slap-in-the-face a-ha moment. Ask for a meeting, and bring a witness if you feel you need to.
  
• Another step you might take is to access programs that are available in the workplace. Many workplaces have conflict resolution programs that may or may not be confidential. Look into it however, before you decide not to use this avenue. You might be able to have a facilitator sit in with you when you meet with your boss.
• If you feel that the above options aren't options for you, you can take your documentation up the chain. Not many managers will be excited to learn that one of their direct reports is engaging in the behaviors you've logged, and most managers will aggressively take action to extinguish negative behaviors in their lower ranks, realizing that low employee morale affects the bottom line. Not all will, however; yours might not.
• Your Union Rep is also an avenue.
• Your family physician also is a resource you can use to document any ill physiological and/or psychological effects of the bullying and harrassment.
  

Whatever route you choose, however, unless you've documented the actions adequately and in a timely manner, there may be no recourse. Anybody who is going to try to help resolve this issue will need facts. Remember, too, that you are undoubtedly angry and you may want to "feel" the satisfaction of knowing your boss has been punished. It's likely that you'll never know what happens to the boss, due to The Privacy Act and how it mandates that personnel actions be disclosed on a need-to-know-basis only. Be satisfied if the bullying behavior ceases, and realize it might take you awhile to trust that it's ended. But every day that goes by without the bullying is a better day than before, and you may eventually discover that you like your job again.

DISCLAIMER

It is a common misconception that bullying, discrimination, and harassment are already actionable (worthy of civil litigation) under present law. Only racial or sexual discrimination are against the law. Status-blind bullying is legal when targets are not bullied due to their membership in a protected class under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Amendment (race, color, sex, religion, or national origin). In addition, present whistleblower laws are marginally effective.