Workplace bullying
Source: Bullying in the workplace | BlogHer
I found the above article by Laura Petrecc which I though may interest readers of my blog. She talks about bullying, how often the first thought when bullying is mentioned is that of phyical form of bullying, next comes bullying within schools. Often overlooked is the fact that bullying also happens in the workplace.
She talks about how bullying is assumed to target others on the grounds of;
- race,
- ethnicity,
- sexual-orientation,
- or anything that is physically manifested such as disability or difference in appearance or behavior.
Work bullying does not restrict itself to that of colleagues but also comes from those who benefit from managerial positions. Click on the link above to read her full article.
Many organisations including the public sector carry out staff surveys and sadly there is often a notable percentage of staff who have experienced or witnessed workplace bullying, additionally we often also see an percentage of staff surveyed who decline to comment on this. What is the reason why someone would decline to comment on a confidential staff survey? Is it because despite assurances from senior management that the workforce simply do not believe that ‘confidentiality’ is exactly that?
Another source who wished not to be named claimed that he, being a fresh graduate from the same company’s training of six months, had to request a sick leave due to stress after the manager demanded that he ought to make even more sales. He had made more than half-a-dozen sales in three weeks, a significant number for a ‘newbie.’
Do managers foster insecurity within the workforce? Do employees live in fear that if they speak up because they or their colleagues are being bullied that, especially in the current financial climate, they would be putting their employment at risk of termination or that they themselves would also become a victim because they are speaking out in support of others?
Many organisations have HR departments who are there to protect managers but who does the employee have to turn too? Many are told they can also turn to HR for assistance but how is the information utilised? Where there is a conflict how does the HR person deal with it if both sides of a situation are turning to them for advice or support?
What is the percentage of staff who are experiencing stress and difficulties in the workplace which can be put down to the culture of the management and the way they run the organisation with focus purely on hitting targets and not valuing the workforce they have already or not investing in them?
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