Bullying in the workplace

Bullying goes far beyond the classroom – it gets into the workplace and throughout different
stages of life.

IF you think bullying is something that only happens when you’re in school, you’re deluded.

From verbally abusive bosses to sexually inappropriate colleagues, bullying is something that we
could have to face up to throughout our working lives.

While workplace bullying might be a grey area at times (is it bullying if someone gets consistently
overlooked for promotions or bonuses?), it can rear its ugly head in pretty obvious ways.

Take Jeffrey (not his real name), 27, for instance. Even though he was used to being called names
from his time in secondary school, the kind of verbal abuse he used to get from a former employer
was too much to take.

“My former boss has problems with his temper,” said Jeffrey. “He would scold us loudly with
profanities over minor issues, and most of the time those issues were just blown way out of
proportion.”

The boss, Jeffrey said, would yell at the entire office at times; but one of the last straws for Jeffrey
was when things got personal.

“He would use my marriage to question my dedication to the job. He would say things like: ‘Because
you got married young – that’s why you have no commitment and passion for your work’,” said
Jeffrey.

After a about a year, the “toxic environment” became too much for Jeffrey to take and he quit.

The experience didn’t just affect Jeffrey’s professional career. It left a huge dent on his confidence as
well.

“It was a motivational downer. I started wondering whether it was worth it working in such a toxic
environment, even though it was a good job at a reputable company. It was the worst year of my
working life so far,” said Jeffrey.

Are you being bullied?

Though Jeffrey firmly believes what he experienced constitutes workplace bullying, there is a fine
line between an office bully and someone with poor inter-personal skills.

So what exactly constitutes workplace bullying? Even Jeffrey came to a point where he started
wondering whether his boss’ tongue lashings was “normal” workplace behaviour.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), workplace bullying is defined as the “repeated,
health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons by one or more perpetrators”. For HELP
International School counselling psychologist Dr Gerard Louis, the keyword in that definition would
be “repeated”.

“If it is a one-off act, then it might not be considered bullying,” he said. People do, after all, make
one-off mistakes.

Another important thing to remember is that whether an act is considered bullying or not depends
largely on the person on the receiving end of it. No harm, no foul, right?
Malaysian Employers Federation executive direction Shamsuddin Bardan said: “Some things can be
considered part of working culture. If a recipient doesn’t find it unacceptable, then it is fine. But if an
employee feels aggrieved by it, or it is against his or her rights, then it is bullying.”

But workplace bullying can be more than just persistent verbal abuse.

Brand manager Adilah, 28, was sexually harassed by her former boss, who made sexual remarks
about her body, asked her to drive him home alone, and even invited her to his place after work.

“These things violated my rights as a Muslim girl, and he used his position to harass me and
manipulate me into doing things that are not required of me,” said Adilah, who was also forced to
share a room with two male colleagues during a working trip. She left the company soon after.

Know your rights

Malaysian Trade Union Congress general secretary Halim Mansur said that most of the reported
workplace bullying cases are not physical in nature.

“It’s not the kind of bullying you (might) see in schools. Nowadays, workplace bullying is when
workers are not given proper protection, not enrolled to social security (SOCSO) and Employee
Provident Fund (EPF), face sexual harassment and violation of their basic rights as per the Malaysian
Employment Act,” said Halim.

Who do you call

The problem with workplace bullying is that over 70% of the bullies are managers, as was the case
with Jeffrey and Adilah.

But that doesn’t mean employees should stay silent when they see it happening, said Louis.

“If you are bullied, you should voice out and get evidence to show that you are bullied. A bully is
normally a powerful person, so don’t directly confront them.

According to Halim, if the first step, which is to report the bullying issue to the company’s human
resource management (to solve the problem domestically), doesn’t work, then the worker should
report it to the Industrial Relations Department.

Two options are given to bullied workers. Employees who would like to end their service with the
company can file a constructive dismissal under the Industrial Relations Act 1957, which entitles the
employee to terminate the employment contract.

In more serious cases, if an employee finds his or her life threatened and endangered, he or she may
file a report for constructive dismissal and compensation for the unfair actions made against the
victim.

“Look for people who can help, like trustworthy colleagues or higher authorities if it is your bosses who
are bullying you,” said Louis.

He added that it always require the first strike against the bully, or else nothing will change and the
bully will go on bullying. “It is normal to feel ashamed if you are sexually harassed or humiliated in
public, but nothing is going to change if no one is going to take action.”

Singled out
According to Louis, bullies often target victims as publicly as possible, which makes workplace
bullying all the more embarrassing.
“Bullies likes to perform and demonstrate their power. They often single you (the victim) out, isolate
you, and humiliate you with nasty comments.”

Moreover, he added that bullies often try to find a way to disguise what they’re doing, and make it
seem like it’s the victim’s fault.

Victims of workplace abuse are not always timid and withdrawn. They can be bright, social, ethical people with
a strong sense of justice. In fact, they may be targets of bullying precisely because they have qualities the bully
envies. According to the 2010 Workplace Bullying Survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute,
bullying at work is four times more prevalent than illegal harassment and 50 percent of workers have
experienced workplace bullying; however, only 37 percent of workers reported it. When bullying behavior is
brought out into the open, it becomes easier to recognize--and harder to ignore.
Ads by Google

Gandakan deposit anda

Berdagang di FBS adalah dua kali menguntungkan. Cubanya sekarang.
fbsmy.com

1. Challenge your own assumptions. Abuse can occur at any level within a company. According to the 2010
study, 72 percent of workplace bullies are bosses, as you might expect; however, gender is not as significant an
indicator as you might think. Of the bosses who are bullies, 62 percent are men and 58 percent are women; 68
percent of abuse is same-sex harassment and 80 percent of female bullies target women.

2. Learn about the psychology of workplace bullies. Experts in workplace abuse, such as Harvey Hornstein,
author of “Brutal Bosses and Their Prey: How to Identify and Overcome Abuse in the Workplace,” describe
workplace bullies as cowards with deep-seated insecurities who overcompensate for their own fears by
undermining others. In a practice called “mobbing,” one bully can get others to willingly or unwillingly join him
in a campaign of abuse through innuendo, public discrediting and other malevolent actions until the target
resigns or is terminated.

3. Learn to spot the types of behavior bullies exhibit. Bullies can act overtly by slamming doors, being verbally
rude and insulting or erupting in angry tirades, but many times bullies will act surreptitiously, appearing to act
reasonably on the surface while inflicting subtle humiliation or sabotaging their target. Bullies often single out
an individual and attempt to alienate him from his coworkers by instigating malicious rumors and gossip.
Supervisors can bully a subordinate by giving her excessive work with unrealistic deadlines, shunning or
ignoring her in meetings, giving unwarranted, invalid or public criticism, blaming without factual justification,
shouting or swearing and excessive monitoring or micromanagement.

4. Familiarize yourself with the warning indicators in the victims of workplace abuse. One of the most alarming
findings of the 2010 study was that, in spite of half of all employees reporting they have been targets of abuse,
only 15 percent of workers reported witnessing a coworker being bullied. This is an indication that workplace
abuse has become so entrenched that people don't recognize it as abuse--until it happens to them. Bullying
creates feelings of defenselessness, injustice and indignity in victims that can manifest in ways that are not
always obvious. One of the early signs of abuse is excessive stress or stress-related illness in an employee or
colleague.

Workplace intimidation, also known as workplace bullying, occurs when a superior, peer or subordinate uses
violence or blackmail to manipulate you or intentionally creates feelings of fear, inadequacy or awe. Workplace
intimidation includes illegal sexual harassment and discrimination, but is not limited to illegal behavior. Such
behavior is destructive to the victim and the company.
Ads by Google

Instant Grammar Checker

Grammarly Makes Sure Everything You Type Is Effective And Mistake-Free. Try Now! 
grammarly.com

Examples

Your boss may be bullying you if he intentionally assigns you tasks that he knows you are unqualified to
complete and constantly finds fault with your work. Your co-workers may be bullying you if they give you the
"silent treatment" or otherwise consistently ostracize you. Verbal abuse is a form of workplace intimidation.
Superiors, peers or even subordinates may sabotage your work to provide a pretext for disciplining you or even
firing you. Your tormentors may even accuse you of bullying them if you stand up to them.

Consequences

Workplace intimidation always decreases productivity by lowering morale and increasing internal frictions
within the company. The workplace bully, even if he is the owner, is not acting in the best interests of the
company by bullying you. You may experience depression, high blood pressure or substance abuse problems.
You may have trouble sleeping at night and getting up in the morning, and you may come to believe that you are
to blame for the way you are treated. In extreme cases, workplace intimidation can lead to suicide.

Prevention

One of the most effective ways for a manager to prevent workplace bullying is to respect his own subordinates,
thereby promoting a company culture of mutual respect. He should raise the issue with employees in a general
manner even if he knows of no instances of it, and encourage team members to speak out if they become a
victim of it or observe it happening. A manager might also draft company rules against workplace intimidation,
although these are not likely to be effective against subtle forms of intimidation. As a victim, you should
confront the bully with your complaint. Keep your emotions in check -- the company may be secretly waiting
for an excuse to fire him, and if your tormentor explodes in anger and you don't, you may have given your
company just the pretext it needs to do so.

More than one-third of respondents to a University of Baltimore study published in 2003 felt they had been
exposed to uncivil behavior in the workplace. Researcher and author Lars Andersson defines workplace civility
as “behaviors that help to preserve the norms for mutual respect in the workplace; civility reflects concern for
others.” Incivility in the workplace can have an impact on productivity and commitment to the organization.
Employees experiencing incivility may even perceive the workplace as hostile and look for work elsewhere.
Ads by Google

Start Download - View PDF

Convert From Doc to PDF, PDF to Doc Simply With The Free Online App!
download.fromdoctopdf.com

Productivity

According to the 2003 University of Baltimore study, employees who witness incivility at work report a loss of
productivity. Moreover, a 2001 University of North Carolina study found that workers who had witnessed an
incident of uncivil behavior -- such as the act of berating, badgering or bullying by a co-worker or manager --
lost work time worrying and trying to avoid the perpetrator. The smaller the business, the higher the stakes may
be. In smaller organizations, sidestepping fellow employees may be difficult, if not impossible. Thus, it is even
more important to maintain a tone of civility in the small-business workplace. In the book "The Cost of Bad
Behavior," authors Christine Pearson and Christine Porath of Thunderbird School of Global Management state
that disruptive employees impact their co-workers by being disengaged and defeatist. This negatively affects
morale, which leads to a reduction in productivity. Whereas in a large company, this kind of negativity may
more easily be confined to a single department or satellite office, in a small business the negativity of a few
toxic employees can affect the entire organization.

Commitment

The 2003 University of Baltimore study reveals that employees who experience incivility at work report
lowered commitment to the company. Professor P.M. Forni, author of the book "Choosing Civility," holds that a
civil workplace "is clearly in the interest of most American organizations" because civil organizations are able
to attract and hold onto a larger number of top-flight workers. This is important when small businesses compete
with larger companies for talent. Your providing a warmer, more civil work environment than a huge
corporation can be a factor in your favor. The 2001 University of North Carolina study found that 46 percent of
workers exposed to workplace incivility had thought about leaving their jobs. Of course, when an employee
leaves, the small-business owner has to endure the cost of hiring and training a replacement. Danita Johnson
Hughes, author of "Power Within," states that uncivil behaviors negatively affect employee loyalty,
organizational commitment and overall productivity. While no organization seeks to promote such negative
behaviors, a larger company might be better able to absorb their impact. In a small company, minimizing them
is critical.

Ethics

P.M. Forni suggests a strong connection between civility and ethics. Doing the decent thing promotes positive
interrelationships and helps work life flow better. Although your employees may not always understand the
culture of every co-worker, encouraging them to behave in a civil way helps to ensure a peaceable work
experience. Forni includes among civil behaviors giving credit where it is due, refraining from gossip about a
co-worker and welcoming newcomers to a company or department. In addition, says Forni, witnessing civil
behavior on the part of managers and co-workers helps encourage other employees to treat each other well. In
companies, as in families, behavior standards should be modeled by leadership. Setting a quality example for
your employees is a good first step to promoting workplace civility.

Quality of Life

Forni also claims civil behavior is a primary factor in quality of life. Higher quality of life makes employees
more relaxed and better able to provide quality service to customers. When you're competing with large
corporations, friendly, personable customer service may be a major weapon. Allowing toxic behaviors to pollute
the work environment can in the end erode customer relationships.