Bullying at the workplace - August 8, 2004

Do you wake up in the morning feeling sick because you have to go to work? Is work becoming a nightmare because people in your office or in nearby offices are horrible to you? Then you might be a victim of workplace bullying, a new phenomenon that is...

More frequently, we hear about bullying at school or in the schoolyard. However, workplace bullying is also quite widespread, leading victims to have problems with their families and friends, not to mention the consequences they may suffer by having to change their job due to such treatment.

We do not often hear or discuss the issue of adults who resort to bullying tactics at their place of work. Yet workplace bullying happens and victims have to deal with it.

Bullying at work includes any form of behaviour which is offensive, intimidating, malicious, insulting or is an abuse or misuse of power intended to undermine, humiliate or injure individuals or groups. Bullying leads to stress, leading to illness and/or behavioural problems if prolonged.

Bullying at work is widespread in every part of the world and can have serious implications on employees' halth. Right now, it might be happening to you and you might not even realise it, or maybe, just refuse to accept it.

A survey carried out a few years ago by the UK public sector union, UNISON, revealed that 66 per cent of the respondents had experienced or witnessed bullying, while 34 per cent of those bullied reported that it had gone on for more than three years. In over 80 per cent of cases, the bully was a manager and in almost all cases senior management knew what was going on but did nothing about it.

In Malta we have similar statistics and these figures give us an indication of how easy it is to be bullied at work and how widespread the problem may be, sometimes without us knowing it.

Bullying is present behind all forms of harassment, discrimination, prejudice, abuse, persecution, conflict and violence. When the bullying has a focus, for example race or gender it comes out as racial prejudice, harassment or even sexual discrimination. When bullying lacks a focus, it comes out as pure bullying. Bullying is often referred to as the single most important social issue in recent times.

According to bullyonline.org, a Website with comprehensive information on the issue, bullying has nothing do with managing: good managers manage, bad managers bully. Anyone who chooses to bully is admitting their inadequacy. Basically they are afraid for being seen for what they really are - weak and incompetent.

What is bullying?

Bullying takes place when an individual constantly does or says things to have power over another person. This may include name calling, saying or writing nasty things about them, leaving them out of activities, not talking to them, threatening them, making them feel uncomfortable or scared, taking or damaging their property, physically abusing them or making them do things they don't want to do.

People usually ask: But why do people bully others? This is an interesting question which has no straightforward answers. There are a lot of reasons why some people are bullies. They may see it as a way of being popular or making themselves look tough and in charge. Some bullies do it to get attention or to make others afraid of them.

They might even be jealous of the person they are bullying. Others may have once upon a time been bullied themselves. Often, bullies may not even understand how wrong their behaviour is or how it makes their victim/s feel.

Bullied people are, more often than not, the younger people at the workplace. Some are bullied because they are still naïve and new to the world of work, others may be bullied for no reason in particular. Sometimes young people are bullied simply because they won't stand up for themselves out of fear of losing their job.

What is workplace bullying?

Usually, if you genuinely feel you are being singled out for unfair treatment by a boss or colleague, you are probably being bullied. Although there is no comprehensive list of bullying behaviour, and there is no stereotype of who is likely to be a bully, there are some behavioural attitudes which constitute workplace bullying.

Bullying behaviour can include:

¤ competent staff being constantly criticised or having responsibilities removed and/or being given trivial tasks to do

¤ shouting at staff

¤ regularly making the same person the butt of jokes

¤ persistently picking on people especially in front of others

¤ blocking promotion

¤ regularly and deliberately ignoring or excluding individuals from work activities

¤ setting a person up to fail by overloading them with work or setting impossible deadlines

¤ consistently attacking a member of staff in terms of their professional or personal standing.

What is the cost of workplace bullying to the employer?

Bullying is recognised as a major cause of stress in the workplace and by law, stress must be dealt with in the same way as any other health and safety hazard.

Employers who fail to tackle bullying can pay a high price:

¤ in lost time - because staff are affected by stress and ill-health

¤ lost incentive - because morale is low

¤ reduced work output and quality of service

¤ lost resources - because people who are trained, and experienced, leave the organisation

¤ and if it goes to Employment Tribunal or to court they also face financial penalties and loss of reputation.

More importantly, employers who fail to tackle bullying are breaking the law. This is why it is in everyone's interest to take workplace bullying seriously.

What can you do if you are being bullied?

If you feel you are being singled out or bullied at work, you should not have to put up with it. Experts say that there are a number of steps people who feel that they are being bullied can take:

1. A direct approach is usually the best. Tell the person that you find their behaviour unacceptable and ask them - politely - to stop. Sometimes, this is all that is needed. Bullies do not like being confronted particularly by someone who is calm and civilised.

2. The majority of bullying goes on behind closed doors. So tell a friend or a colleague. You may find out you are not the only one who has suffered this type of treatment from your boss, manager or any other person at your workplace.

3. If you are in a union and there is a union safety rep where you work, tell them what has been happening. This will be in confidence and does not mean that a formal complaint will automatically be made. A safety rep will only do what you want them to while giving you the advice and support you need. They will want to have the bullying stopped quietly and quickly and can go with you to speak to the bully, or see them on your behalf. A safety rep will also help you with a formal complaint, if it goes that far, giving advice and support throughout the procedure.

4. If you are a member of a union that it is not recognised where you work, call your local union office. You will still get the legal advice and support you need. Where unions are not recognised, employers are obliged by law to consult the workforce on health and safety issues either directly or through members of staff independently elected as representatives of employee safety.

5. Keep a diary. This will give a vital record of the nature of the bullying and when it occurred. It will be important when the bully is confronted. Many of the incidents may appear trivial in isolation so it is important to establish a pattern over a period of time.

6. Tell your manager or supervisor. If it is one of them who is bullying you, go and tell their manager. Take your diary with you to back up what you have to say. They may not believe you but you have at least told them that there is a bullying problem. The more people that know, the more difficult it will be for the bully to flourish.

Health and safety representatives at the workplace have an important role to play. They can help curb bullying by raising awareness, educating and supporting colleagues who are being bullied, negotiating anti-bullying policies with management and taking it at hand to organise union action over bullying.

Some workers blame themselves for being bullied, developing feelings of guilt and inadequacy about their performance rather than identifying the bully as the cause of the problem. This factor should be taken into account when developing an education programme. Surveys should be strictly confidential and the results should be published. They work best as part of a broader plan of raising the issue with the management.

Are you a bully?

Have you ever bullied someone else? Think about why you did it and how you were feeling at the time. If you are a bully, try to find other ways to make yourself feel good. Most bullies are not well liked! Remember that it is best to treat others the way you would like to be treated.

CSB Recruitment Agency has been supporting the local business community with its services since 1987. For further information you can write to CSB at Vincenti Buildings, 14/19 Strait Street, Valletta VLT 08, call 2122-5800 or 2124-6543, fax: 2123-0520, e-mail: jobs@vacancycentre. com, or visit www.VacancyCentre.com.