What is it and How do I stop it?. Course Created/Authored By: Jameelea Popenhagen, CTO II15-Jan-2013...
80
Workplace Bullies What is it and How do I stop it?
What is it and How do I stop it?. Course Created/Authored By: Jameelea Popenhagen, CTO II15-Jan-2013 Course Approved by & Date: Terry Goodall, Instructional
Course Created/Authored By: Jameelea Popenhagen, CTO
II15-Jan-2013 Course Approved by & Date: Terry Goodall,
Instructional Technology Specialist17-Jan-2013 David Layton, CTO
IV17-Jan-2013 Annual Reviewer & Dates: Rhonda Haworth, CTO
II14-Oct-2014 Assigned Catalog Code: DOC 501 Category : On-Line
Supervisory Type of Training Credit : Supervisory and Safety
Training Credit: 2 hours 0 minutes Approved Instructor(s): N/A /
For classroom presentations: Certified DOC Instructors/Training
Officers Target Population(s): All Department of Corrections Staff
and Supervisors Delivery/Presentation Method: Self-Paced /
Classroom Evaluation Procedures: None / Instructor Observation Data
Sources: Agency Policies and Procedures / Safety & Health
Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) Copyright
Clearance: Granted by Nan Yragui, Ph.D. SHARP (On-File)
Slide 3
Course Abstract The Department of Corrections is dedicated to
its pursuit to protect the public, protect the employees, and
protect the offenders. In doing so, the department embraces
educating/training its employees on a wide variety of subjects
including Workplace Bulling. Therefore, this course meets the DOC
values & mission statement by employing best practices.
Throughout this course, individuals will be given the tools to
understand what bullying is, how to recognize different types of
bullies in the workplace and understand various ways to stop
workplace bullies.
Slide 4
Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation,
participants will be able to: Understand what bullying is; Identify
the ten signs of being bullied; Recognize how bullying affects
people; Recognize different types of bullies in the workplace; and
Understand various ways to stop bullying in the workplace
Slide 5
What is Bullying? Workplace Bullying is repeated, unreasonable
actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee
(or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate,
degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the
health or safety of the employee(s) Workplace bullying often
involves an abuse or misuse of power Bullying behavior creates
feelings of defenselessness and injustice within the target and
undermines an individuals right to dignity at work
Slide 6
What is Bulling cont. Persistent unwelcome behavior, mostly
using unwarranted or invalid criticism, nit-picking, fault-
finding, also exclusion, isolation, being singled out and treated
differently, being shouted at, humiliated, excessive monitoring,
having verbal and written warnings imposed, and much more
Slide 7
Bullies! We hear about the bullies in our schools, on the
school bus and at the local playground or park Our children come
home and tell us how they are being bullied at school And
statistics say.. while we were in school a very high percentage of
us were bullied But what about those bullies that grow up but dont
grow out of bullying They are now in the work place
Slide 8
Hurray for Iowa Sioux City Iowa is the first school district in
the nation to address workplace bullying for their adult employees
They have voluntarily created policies and credible enforcement
procedures to purge destructive individuals But these pioneering
employers are few and far between
Slide 9
A few More Facts In the U.S., where the practice is being
studied, an estimated 37% of workers, or about 54 million people,
have been bullied at the office, or repeatedly mistreated in a
health-harming way, according to a Zogby International survey The
percentage balloons to 49% of workers, 71.5 million people, when
witnesses are included
Slide 10
History of Oklahoma Oklahoma was the 2nd state to introduce the
Healthy Workplace Bill There is no current bill in 2012 Bill
History 2009 Rep. Seneca Scott was the bill's prime sponsor. The
bill was introduced as House Bill HB 1685. No hearing was held 2007
Rep. Gilbert introduced HB 1467. At the end of 2007 Rep. Gilbert
"termed out" and left the legislature 2004 Rep. Darryl Gilbert
introduced HB 2467. The bill was not passed by the House Commerce
& Labor Committee Information about the HWB
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/bill.php
Slide 11
What are my chances? Chances are if you work with others, youll
be bullied at some point in your career A new study finds that
nearly 37 percent of U.S. workers have endured a punishing boss or
co-worker Many individuals would not label themselves as bully
targets
Slide 12
What Do the Experts say? Experts say there is a general lack of
awareness about bullying and the types of behaviors the term
encompasses This often prevents people from realizing that a boss
or co-worker is a bully There is also an element of personal shame
involved For those who do the bullying, its not just the bully
victim who feels the heat Witnesses; whether in the immediate area
or in nearby cubicles are affected and show an increase in stress
and overall dissatisfaction with their jobs
Slide 13
Ten signs of being Bullied!
Slide 14
Work Means Misery If you often feel like throwing up or are
particularly anxious the night before the start of your workweek,
there's a good chance you're experiencing workplace bullying,
experts say. While few people look forward to Mondays, those that
are a target of a bully, look at Mondays in despair. Many feel
physically ill.
Slide 15
Stolen Work You've been working day and night for weeks on a
project that's now getting good buzz at your office. If your boss
or co-worker steals the credit, and has a habit of doing so, you're
being bullied.
Slide 16
Impossible Schedule A workplace bully won't hesitate to change
your schedule to make your life more difficult. If your boss always
schedules last-minute late meetings on the days when he knows
you're taking night classes or you have to pick up the kids, for
instance, he or she may be a bully.
Slide 17
Sabotage A workplace bully may try to find ways to ensure that
you fail at your job Examples include: changing rules on the fly
that apply to your work; not performing tasks crucial to your
success; such as signing off on details or taking calls
Slide 18
You Always Need Mental Health Days If it seems like all of your
paid time off is being used for mental health breaks, to get away
from the misery of your office, it could be because you're being
bullied. Other signs include spending your days off feeling
lifeless or your family members showing frustration over your
constant obsessing about work.
Slide 19
You're Not Invited To Lunch Or Meetings If you feel like you're
being singled out and/or isolated by your co-workers or boss,
socially or physically, you are probably being bullied That can
mean having your desk moved or not being invited to meetings or
even lunch
Slide 20
Gossip and Lies A covert office bully is more likely to spread
destructive gossip and lies about you and your performance, rather
than scream at you in front of your co-workers. Failing to stop the
spread of a rumor can be an act of bullying, too.
Slide 21
Remembering Your Mistakes If your boss or co-worker seems to
keep a file of your mistakes and constantly refer to them, for no
constructive reason, you're likely being bullied. Falsely accusing
you of errors is another common tactic.
Slide 22
Lots Of Yelling Overt workplace bullies tend to make their
feelings known by yelling If you are frequently screamed at,
insulted or humiliated in front of others, you're probably being
bullied. Bullies like to humiliate in front of co-workers
Slide 23
Constant Criticism If the criticism from your boss or co-worker
never seems to stop, despite your history of objective competence
and even excellence, a bully might be to blame Workplace bullies
also tend to have a different standard in mind for their
targets
Slide 24
People who are bullied find that they are: constantly
criticized and subjected to destructive criticism (often
euphemistically called constructive criticism, which is an
oxymoron) explanations and proof of achievement are ridiculed,
overruled, dismissed or ignored forever subjected to nit-picking
and trivial fault- finding (the triviality is the giveaway)
undermined, especially in front of others false concerns are
raised, or doubts are expressed over a person's performance or
standard of work - however, the doubts lack substantive and
quantifiable evidence, for they are only the bully's unreliable
opinion and are for control, not performance enhancement
Slide 25
Cont overruled, ignored, sidelined, marginalized, ostracized
isolated and excluded from what's happening (this makes people more
vulnerable and easier to control and subjugate) singled out and
treated differently (for example everyone else can have long lunch
breaks but if they are one minute late it's a disciplinary offense)
belittled, degraded, demeaned, ridiculed, patronized, subject to
disparaging remarks regularly the target of offensive language,
personal remarks, or inappropriate bad language
Slide 26
Cont the target of unwanted sexual behavior threatened, shouted
at and humiliated, especially in front of others taunted and teased
where the intention is to embarrass humiliated by setting
unrealistic goals and deadlines which are unachievable or changed
without notice or reason or whenever they get near achieving them
denied information or knowledge necessary for undertaking work and
achieving objectives
Slide 27
Cont starved of resources, sometimes whilst others often
receive more than they need denied support by their manager and
thus find themselves working in a management vacuum either
overloaded with work [this keeps people busy (with no time to
tackle bullying) and makes it harder to achieve targets] or have
all their work taken away (which is sometimes replaced with
inappropriate menial jobs such as photocopying, filing, and/or
making coffee) have their responsibility increased but their
authority decreased
Slide 28
Cont are given the silent treatment: the bully refuses to
communicate and avoids eye contact (always an indicator of an
abusive relationship) often instructions are received only via
e-mail, memos, or a succession of post-it notes subject to
excessive monitoring, supervision, micro- management, recording,
snooping etc. the subject of written complaints by other members of
staff [most of whom have been coerced into fabricating allegations
- the complaints are trivial, often bizarre (He looked at me in a
funny way) and often bear striking similarity to each other,
suggesting a common origin]
Slide 29
Cont forced to work long hours, often without compensation and
under threat of dismissal find requests for leave have unacceptable
and unnecessary conditions attached, sometimes overturning previous
approval harassed by calls at home or on holiday, often at unsocial
hours receive unpleasant or threatening calls or are harassed with
intimidating memos, notes or emails with no verbal communication,
immediately prior to weekends and holidays
Slide 30
Cont do not have a clear job description, or have one that is
exceedingly long or vague; the bully often deliberately makes the
person's role unclear sometimes the bully abuses their position of
power to exclude any representative who is competent to deal with
bullying subjected to unwarranted and unjustified verbal or written
warnings
Slide 31
Cont facing unjustified disciplinary action on issues
considered trivial or unfounded false charges, facing dismissal on
fabricated charges, or flimsy excuses denial of the right to earn
your livelihood that may include preventing you getting another
job, usually with a bad or misleading reference
Slide 32
HOW BULLYING AFFECTS PEOPLE: Victims of bullying experience
significant physical and mental health problems High stress;
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Financial problems due to
absence Reduced self-esteem
Slide 33
Affects Cont Musculoskeletal problems Phobias Sleep and
digestive disturbances Increased depression/self-blame Family
tension and stress
Slide 34
How to spot your workplace bully
Slide 35
Your department might show excessive rates of: staff turnover
sickness absence stress breakdowns deaths in service ill-health
retirements early retirements
Slide 36
Excessive rates cont uses of disciplinary procedures grievances
initiated suspensions dismissals uses of private security firms to
snoop on employees litigation including employment tribunals or
legal action against employees
Slide 37
Types of Bullying
Slide 38
Pressure bullying or Unwitting bullying is: where the stress of
the moment causes behavior to deteriorate When the person becomes
short-tempered, irritable and may shout or swear at others
Everybody does this from time to time, but when the pressure is
removed, behavior returns to normal, the person recognizes the
inappropriateness of their behavior, makes amends, and may
apologize, and learns from the experience so that next time the
situation arises they are better able to deal with it.
Slide 39
Organizational bullying is: a combination of pressure bullying
and corporate bullying occurs when an organization struggles to
adapt to changing markets reduced income cuts in budgets imposed
expectations other external pressures.
Slide 40
Corporate bullying is: where the employer abuses employees with
impunity knowing that the law is weak and jobs are scarce
Slide 41
Client bullying is: where employees are bullied by those they
serve, teachers are bullied (and often assaulted) by pupils and
their parents nurses are bullied by patients and their relatives
social workers are bullied by their clients shop/bank/building
society staff are bullied by customers. Often the client is
claiming their perceived right (to better service) in an abusive,
derogatory and often physically violent manner. Client bullying can
also be employees bullying their clients.
Slide 42
Institutional bullying is: similar to corporate bullying and
arises when bullying becomes entrenched and accepted as part of the
culture People are moved, long-existing contracts are replaced with
new short-term contracts on less favorable terms with the
accompanying threat of "agree to this or else workloads are
increased or changed roles are changed career progression paths are
blocked, terminated, etc.
Slide 43
Serial bullying is: where the source of all dysfunction can be
traced to one individual who picks on one employee after another
and destroys them Most people know at least one person in their
life with the profile of the serial bully Most people do not
recognize this person as a socialized psychopath, or sociopath
Slide 44
Secondary bullying is: mostly unwitting bullying which people
start exhibiting when there's a serial bully in the department The
pressure of trying to deal with a dysfunctional, divisive and
aggressive serial bully causes everyone's behavior to decline
Slide 45
Pair bullying is: a serial bully with a colleague Often one
does the talking whilst the other watches and listens Usually it's
the quiet one you need to watch Usually they are of opposite gender
and frequently there's an affair going on.
Slide 46
Gang bullying is: a serial bully with colleagues Gangs can
occur anywhere, but flourish in corporate bullying climates If the
bully is an extrovert, they are likely to be leading from the
front; they may also be a shouter and screamer, and thus easily
identifiable (and recordable on tape and video-able) If the bully
is an introvert, that person will be in the background initiating
the mayhem but probably not taking an active part, and may thus be
harder to identify.
Slide 47
Vicarious bullying is: where two parties are encouraged to
engage in adversarial interaction or conflict Similar to gang
bullying, although the bully may or may not be directly connected
with either of the two parties One party becomes the bully's
instrument of harassment and is deceived and manipulated into
bullying the other party An example of vicarious bullying is where
the serial bully creates conflict between employer and employee,
participating occasionally to stoke the conflict, but rarely taking
an active part in the conflict themselves
Slide 48
Regulation bullying is: where a serial bully forces their
target to comply with rules, regulations, procedures or laws
regardless of their appropriateness, applicability or
necessity.
Slide 49
Legal bullying is: the bringing of a vexatious legal action to
control and punish a person - is one of the nastiest forms of
bullying.
Slide 50
Residual bullying is: the bullying of all kinds that continues
after the serial bully has left the serial bully bequeaths a
dysfunctional environment to those who are left This can last for
years.
Slide 51
Cyber bullying is: the misuse of email systems or Internet
forums etc for sending aggressive flame mails Serial bullies have
few communication skills (and often none), thus the impersonal
nature of email makes it an ideal tool for causing conflict
Sometimes called cyber stalking
Slide 52
In environments where bullying is the norm, most people will
eventually either become bullies or become targets. There are few
bystanders, as most people will eventually be sucked in.
Slide 53
How do bullies select their targets? bullies are predatory and
opportunistic - you just happen to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time; being good at your job, often excelling being popular
with people (colleagues, customers, clients, pupils, parents,
patients, etc.) more than anything else, the bully fears exposure
of his/her inadequacy and incompetence; your presence, popularity
and competence unknowingly and unwittingly fuel that fear
Slide 54
Selection cont being the expert and the person to whom others
come for advice, either personal or professional (ie you get more
attention than the bully) having a well-defined set of values which
you are unwilling to compromise having a strong sense of integrity
(bullies despise integrity, for they have none, and seem compelled
to destroy anyone who has integrity) having at least one
vulnerability that can be exploited
Slide 55
Selection cont being too old or too expensive (usually both)
refusing to join an established clique showing independence of
thought or deed refusing to become a corporate clone and drone
jealousy (of relationships and perceived exclusion there from) envy
(of talents, abilities, circumstances or possessions) are strong
motivators of bullying
Slide 56
Events that trigger bullying: the previous target leaves
there's a reorganization a new manager is appointed your
performance unwittingly highlights, draws attention to, exposes or
invites unfavorable comparison with the bully's lack of performance
(the harder you work to address the bully's claims of
underperformance the more insecure and unstable the bully becomes)
you may have unwittingly become the focus of attention whereas
before the bully was the centre of attention (this often occurs
with female bullies) - most bullies are emotionally immature and
thus crave attention
Slide 57
Events Cont obvious displays of affection respect or trust from
co-workers refusing to obey an order which violates rules,
regulations, procedures, or is illegal standing up for a colleague
who is being bullied - this ensures you will be next; sometimes the
bully drops their current target and turns their attention to you
immediately blowing the whistle on incompetence, malpractice,
fraud, illegality, breaches of procedure, breaches of health &
safety regulations
Slide 58
Events cont undertaking trade union duties suffering illness or
injury, whether work related or not challenging the status quo,
especially unwittingly gaining recognition for your achievements,
eg winning an award or being publicly recognized gaining a
promotion
Slide 59
Personal qualities that bullies find irresistible: popularity
(this stimulates jealousy in the less-than- popular bully)
competence (this stimulates envy in the less-than- competent bully)
intelligence and intellect honesty and integrity (which bullies
despise) trustworthy, trusting, conscientious, loyal and dependable
well-developed integrity which you're unwilling to compromise
Slide 60
Qualities Cont you're always willing to go that extra mile and
expect others to do the same successful, tenacious, determined,
courageous, having fortitude a sense of humor, including displays
of quick-wittedness imaginative, creative, innovative idealistic,
optimistic, always working for improvement and betterment of self,
family, the employer, and the world ability to master new skills
ability to think long term and to see the bigger picture
Slide 61
Qualities Cont sensitivity (this is a constellation of values
to be cherished including empathy, concern for others, respect,
tolerance etc) slow to anger helpful willing to share knowledge and
experience giving and selfless difficulty saying no Diligent
industrious tolerant
Slide 62
The typical sequence of events is: the target is selected using
the criteria above, then bullied for months, perhaps years
eventually, the target asserts their right not to be bullied,
perhaps by filing a complaint with personnel the bully, who uses
their Jekyll and Hyde nature, compulsive lying, and charm to tell
the opposite story (charm has a motive - deception) it's one word
against another with no witnesses and no evidence, so personnel
take the word of the senior employee
Slide 63
Sequence of events Cont once the target is gone new target is
selected and the process starts again (bullying is an obsessive
compulsive behavior and serial bullies seem unable to survive
without a target even if the employer realizes that they might have
sided with the wrong person in the past, they are unlikely to admit
that because to do so may incur liability if legal action is
taken
Slide 64
Whats the difference!
Slide 65
Example of Retaliation: Bullying differs from retaliation,
which occurs after a person makes a complaint of illegal
discrimination, and is then the subject of an adverse employment
action or subjected to harassment because he or she made the
complaint.
Slide 66
Example of Harassment: A male manager who makes unwelcome
sexual suggestions to a female employee and touches her
inappropriately.
Slide 67
Bullying! Bullying, on the other hand, is often directed at
someone a bully feels threatened by. The target often doesnt even
realize when they are being bullied because the behavior can be
covert, through trivial criticisms and isolating actions that occur
behind closed doors However; it can also happen in front of or
within ear shot of co-workers to belittle, the target
Slide 68
Differences: Acts of harassment usually centre around unwanted,
offensive and intrusive behavior with a sexual, racial or physical
component Measures to identify and proscribe acts of harassment
derive from the Sex Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act and
the law of assault Disability Discrimination Act (1996), the
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) and the Protection
from Harassment Act (1996) have also influenced attitudes towards
harassment Significantly, the Protection from Harassment Act
accords emphasis for the first time on the target's perception of
the harassment rather than the perpetrator's alleged intent.
Slide 69
Differences: Harassment Bullying Has a strong physical
component, such as contact and touch in all its forms, intrusion
into personal space and possessions, damage to possessions
including a person's work, etc Almost exclusively psychological
(criticism), may become physical later, especially with male
bullies, but almost never with female bullies
Slide 70
Differences: Harassment Bullying ends to focus on the
individual because of what they are (female, black, disabled, etc.)
Harassment is usually linked to sex, race, prejudice,
discrimination, etc. Anyone will do, especially if they are
competent, popular and vulnerable Although bullies are deeply
prejudiced, sex, race and gender play little part; it's usually
discrimination on the basis of competence
Slide 71
Differences: Harassment Bullying The person who is being
harassed knows almost straight away they are being harassed
Everyone can recognize harassment, especially if there's an
assault, indecent assault or sexual assault The person being
bullied may not realize they are being bullied for weeks or months
- until there's a moment of enlightenment Few people recognize
bullying
Slide 72
Differences: Harassment Bullying The harassment almost always
has a strong clear focus (ex. - sex, race, disability) Harassment
takes place both in and out of work Harassment is often domination
for superiority The focus is on competence (envy) and popularity
(jealousy) The bullying takes place mostly at work Bullying is for
control of threat (of exposure of the bully's own inadequacy)
Slide 73
Why do People Bully? The purpose of bullying is to hide
inadequacy. Bullying has nothing to do with managing etc.; good
managers manage, bad managers bully. Management is managing;
bullying is not managing. Therefore, anyone who chooses to bully is
admitting their inadequacy, and the extent to which a person
bullies is a measure of their inadequacy.
Slide 74
Bullies project their inadequacy on to others to: avoid facing
up to their inadequacy and doing something about it avoid accepting
responsibility for their behavior and the effect it has on others
to reduce their fear of being seen for what they are, namely a
weak, inadequate and often incompetent individual to divert
attention away from their inadequacy - in an insecure or
badly-managed workplace, this is how inadequate, incompetent and
aggressive employees keep their jobs
Slide 75
Bullying is an inefficient way of working resulting in:
Dis-enchantment De-moralization De-motivation Dis-affection
Alienation Bullies run dysfunctional and inefficient organizations;
staff turnover and sickness absence are high whilst morale,
productivity and profitability are low
Slide 76
What Can we do about Bullying?
Slide 77
Regain Control: Recognizing that you are being bullied
Realizing that you are NOT the source of the problem Recognizing
that bullying is about control, and therefore has nothing to do
with your performance
Slide 78
Take Appropriate Action Keeping a diary detailing the nature of
the bullying (dates, times, places, what was said or done and who
was present) Obtain copies of harassing / bullying paper trails
Hold onto copies of documents that contradict the bullys
accusations against you (time sheets, audit reports, etc.)
Slide 79
Other Actions Expect the bully to deny and perhaps misconstrue
your accusations Have a witness with you during any meetings with
the bully and have the witness write an incident report Report the
behavior to an appropriate person
Slide 80
References Safety & Health Assessment & Research for
Prevention (SHARP) - Research for Safe Work Reference Permission
granted by Nanette Yragui, Ph.D www.LNI.wa.gov/Safety/Research
Healthy Workplace Bill
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/problem.php
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/problem.php Chose who can, do
and Chose who cant, Bully
http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/bully.htm Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/22/health-bullying-office-forbeslife-
cx_avd_0324health.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2008/03/22/health-bullying-office-forbeslife-
cx_avd_0324health.html