This week we will focus on bullying in the workplace.
What?
Didn’t you know that little bullies grow up to become big bullies if their behavior is not addressed early when they display characteristics of a bully?
Well, needless to say but necessary for you to know, is the reality that this is a common occurrence in the workplace.
Let’s identify it first and then discover what you or someone you suspect is experiencing workplace bullying can do to become the victor and not the victim.
Please note that this is a sensitive subject and that not all occurrences and decisions made by your workplace administration is considered bullying.
Decisions and practices made in your workplace may not seem fair but it is not bullying. Your workplace administration has the authority to demote, discipline, terminate, transfer and/or document a counseling session with you in a respectful manner based on your job performance and your attitude.
This manner of conduct is often described in your policy and procedure manual or in your human resources department guidelines.
What is Workplace Bullying?
Bullying in the workplace can be exhibited by an individual or a group on a targeted individual or group.
It is an excessive and repetitive abuse of power that can be demonstrated by individuals who are manipulative and controlling.
They use verbal, emotional , psychological “mind games” abuse or even physical abuse as their weapon to degrade their targets.
It is the same mannerism that hundreds of school-aged children experience on a daily basis.
Yet, they are expected to attend school regularly and actively participate in gaining their education. Sounds similar, huh?
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, bullying can also include the intentional sabatoge of a target’s work performance or the withholding of resources needed to effectively conduct a job assignment.
Their 2019 survey concluded that workplace bullying is a form of domestic violence with the only caveat being that the victim is on payroll.
They further concluded that the individuals or groups who are bullied are similar to battered victims in a relationship.
The abuser (individuals or groups) conduct all manners of verbal, emotional, psychological “mind games” and in some cases, even physical pain when and where she or he chooses.
Mental games like these are aimed at keeping the target (victim) off balance knowing that their chosen form of violence can happen on a whim, but dangling the hope that safety is possible during a period of peace of unknown duration.
The target is kept close to the abuser by the nature of the relationship between in this case as a boss to subordinate or co-worker to co-worker.
An empathetic observer can describe this particular workplace as a feeling of friction or tension that can be felt when they encounter it.
As my grandmother would say, “I can’t put my finger directly on it but there’s something that just ain’t right here”.
What Can I Do If I Am Experiencing Workplace Bullying?
Believe it or not, your actions would be that of the youngster that is on that playground alone at school surrounded by their bullies.
You have human rights that protect you from workplace bullying.
Share your experiences and concerns with others on your job, your supervisor and your workplace administration.
This is your first step known in the workforce as a grievance.
You may actually be reporting your experience to the ones who are your identified bullies but you must follow the policy and procedure guidelines in order to file a grievance.
When you follow the guidelines for filing a grievance as documented in the human resources/ administration’s employee handbook, you are armed with all your rights as a human and as their employee.
Please know that you have legal human rights and workplace rights.
If this is a subject of interest, feel free to contact any of the listed agencies for information listed as follows :Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), US Department of Labor (DOL), Wage and Hour Division, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
