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Recession Bullies at Work
If you’ve been feeling picked on at work lately, you’re hardly alone. The Associated Press reports that workplace bullying is on the rise thanks to the recession, due in part to how difficult it can be to find a new job in a tight economy.
And while workplace bullies may not be stealing your homework or your lunch money, the mental pain they can inflict is often much worse in the long term, according to Workplace Bullying Institute director Gary Namie, who defines the practice as any verbal abuse, humiliation, career sabotage, or intimidation an employee may experience in the office.
So what should you do if you’re feeling bullied at work? Namie offers some advice:
1. Recognize the problem. If someone’s abusing you in the office, it isn’t accidental or inadvertent, it’s bullying. Recognizing this fact is the first step to finding a solution.
2. Take a sick day. Believe it or not, bullying can oftentimes lead to stress disorders or other medical ailments, which is why employees suffering from it should ask to take sick leave in an effort to recover.
3. Make Your Case. If your office has seen excessive turnover or employee absenteeism, it may be a good idea to take your case to the highest-level executive possible and explain that workplace bullying is costing the company money.
4. Defend Yourself. No, we’re not talking about beating up your bully or anything. But if you feel that your bosses isn’t taking your complaint seriously, it may be a good idea to spread the word around the office about what’s going on. Not only do you have nothing to be ashamed about, but being honest about what’s really happening can do wonders for your mental health, as well.
5. Find Another Job. Yes, it’s hard to find a job these days. But getting as far away from the office bully as possible can sometimes be the easiest way to solve whatever problems you’re having, which is why it may be a good idea to start the job search today.
Surprisingly, Namie suggests not getting your bully’s immediate boss involved in the situation right away—since he or she may likely be the close with the bully and unwilling to help—and not telling your story from an emotional angle, since pure facts are more likely to get action. For more advice from the Workplace Bullying Institute, check out their website at workplacebullying.org.
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3 comments for “Recession Bullies at Work”
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I find this piece distressing. What’s missing is any sense that organizations should have serious and effective grievance procedures to deal with bullying, just as they should to deal with sexual harassment and other types of on-the-job misconduct. The advice offered here is perfectly reasonable, but it is simply accepted at face value that the victim is alone and the burden of dealing with bullying inevitably will fall on the isolated victim.
My father, Izzy Kalman, has a wonderful guide to stop being bullied in the workplace:
http://www.bullies2buddies.com/Workplace-Bullying-and-Bullying-in-the-workplace
Employers should realize that it’s in their own best interest to fire the bully. New research shows bullying cuts a much wider swath of destruction than ever imagined, not only on workplace culture but on employee productivity. Problem is, bullies often are ‘destructive achievers,’ whom companies are loathe to fire during a recession. Here’s a look from a business owner’s perspective at: http://bit.ly/JvlJo