While reading the paper today, I found myself unable to finish my coffee. There was a revolting story about a six-year old boy, from Quebec City, who was so violently beaten up in the school yard, that the resulting physical and mental trauma will affect him for the rest of his life. His mother sued for a meager sum of $800,000, a very small amount considering all the care her child will require since the event. But the worst of it is that those who committed the act were also only six years old.
And what becomes of those bullies once they reach maturity? Some of them become respectable citizens, no doubt regretting the years of torture they inflicted upon others. However, the bullies and the bullied will always exist, whether in the school yard or at the office. And these big bullies at the office are just as threatening and damaging as the little ones.
Stephanie (the name has been changed) is a case in point. Happily, she had accepted a well-paying job in an up and running company. Unfortunately, she landed in a close-knit team, in which one person with a very strong personality was creating havoc. After only a few hours, Stephanie realized the domination this person had on the team, and a few weeks later she found out how the woman was doing it.
Rumors, hear-say, and bad-mouthing about Stephanie, both on a personal and a professional level, were quick to start, even though she could not possibly have had the time to do half of what she was accused of. It came from everywhere: from innuendo during meetings, to blatant teasing criticising her work in front of the colleagues, including gossip brought to her own boss. It even went to the point where reports were handed to her late, preventing her from accomplishing her own work on time.
Stephanie tried to reason with this person, in order to understand the situation and, mostly, try to fix things with her. Big mistake. Another team mate explained that, she too, had been placed in the dog house, and that this was something that happened to all the newbies on the team. And that was how Stephanie’s tormentor reigned: once out of her grasp, all the team mates were so scared to fall back into it that they ended up participating in this mean little game. Surprisingly, once a person was “accepted” in the circle of the initiated, the shrew became all attention and care, so why change the situation? There was always a new victim to play with.
Bullies exist in the work place, and can do a lot of damage. Bear in mind though, that there is a difference between intimidation, and normal occasional conflict. Intimidation in the work place is defined as a repeat behaviour, which is persistent and ongoing, as opposed to one single negative act, and is generally linked to an imbalance in power between the victim and the perpetrator, making the victim feel inferior1.
It should be noted that intimidation in the work place occurs four times more often than sexual harassment2. There is not much Canadian data on the subject, but an American survey tends to show that 37% of workers were victims of intimidation at work, and that 45% of the victims reported reaching stress levels that affected their health3.
Profiles were done on bullies: very often, they show low self-esteem, low communication skills, unresolved problems linked to work, and the belief that they have the right to control others by means of an abusive behaviour. Intimidation is their way to cover their own weaknesses and insecurities2.
How do you react when confronted, as was Stephanie, to such a situation? You must first keep calm and note each incident (date and time), thereby collecting evidence. Then, try to have witnesses when the incidents occur and, once again, note their name, the date and the time. If you are a union member, try to get help from your union. You can always try also to talk with the perpetrator to fix the situation, very carefully.
If all else fails, then go to your boss. But do be careful: maybe the company you work for is slow in reacting, or your boss cannot get the support from his or her own boss, or worse, he or she won’t rock the boat! If you want to keep your job, inform your boss that the situation has become intolerable and that you will lodge a complaint with Human Resources.
If you feel that your employer will frown upon such a negative progression of the issue – and that can happen, unfortunately – then ask yourself this question: is it worth it to work for a company that doesn’t care about the wellbeing of their employees?
There are also external resources in each province, such as the Commission des Normes du travail, in Québec, where you can find answers to some of your concerns, if you cannot get them from your employer.
So what did happen to Stephanie in the end? After considering all the options, and taking into consideration the difficult work environment, she quit her job. She did, however, carefully state her reasons during the exit interview, hoping that her comments may help her successor.
- Salin, D 2003, “Ways of explaining workplace bullying : A review of enabling, motivating and precipitating structures and processes in the work environment”, Human Relations, vol. 56, no. 10, pp 1213-1232.
- Rowell, P 2005, “Being a target at work: Or William Tell and how the apple felt”, JONA, vol. 35, no. 0, pp. 377-379.
- U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey: September, 2007
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The authors can be reached at: consultation.virtus@outlook.com or mj.verhaaf@gmail.com
Anick Lamothe and Marie-Josee Verhaaf
Work. Words...and life 