Workplace bullies

[I]”Most organizations have a serial bully. It never ceases to amaze me how one person’s divisive, disordered, dysfunctional behavior can permeate the entire organization like a cancer.”[/I] —Tim Field

Most of you can probably remember the schoolyard bully who delighted in picking on other kids. If you were a victim of a prepubescent tormentor, you probably dreaded walking to school, playing at recess, or going outside in case you ran into the person who made your life miserable.

Those young toughs who got their jollies pushing around weaker children eventually grew up and some have become irresponsible adults who continue to bully others in the workplace. We recently found an interesting website at www.bullyonline.org, that has a lot of information about this workplace malady that leads to stress breakdowns, high staff turnover, excessive grievances, suspensions, dismissals, early retirements, and costly litigation.

Bullying is the common denominator of harassment, discrimination, abuse, conflict, prejudice and violence. It is one of the most important social issues of today because its behavior underlies almost all conflict and violence. Research by Professor Cary Cooper and colleagues in February 2000 revealed that out of 5,300 employees in 70 organizations, 1 in 10 said they’d been bullied in the last six months and 1 in 4 said they’d been bullied in the last 5 years. Those individuals who were bullied within the last six months consistently reported the poorest health, lowest work motivation, highest absenteeism as well as the lowest productivity compared to those who were not bullied. Another 47 percent who reported witnessing bullying in the last five years were more likely to report poorer health and lower morale than those who worked in bullying-free workplaces.

Bullying is an obsessive-compulsive behavior, and the serial bully has to have someone to torment and appears to be unable to survive without a current target. It’s estimated that one in 30 persons is a serial bully. They come in all shapes and sizes, male and female, and they can be anyone in your organization. To determine if you have a workplace bully, consider just 10 of the 46 characteristics that were listed on the website. A bully:

Is unusually skilled in being able to anticipate what people want to hear and then saying it in a believable way.

Uses excessive charm and is always plausible and convincing when peers, superiors or others are present.

Excels at deception and should never be underestimated in his/her capacity to deceive.

Refuses to be specific and doesn’t give a straight answer.

Is a convincing and practiced liar and when caught, will make up anything spontaneously to fit his/her needs at the moment.

Undermines and destroys anyone who he/she perceives to be an adversary, a potential threat, or who can see through the bully’s mask.

Is quick to belittle, undermine, denigrate, and discredit anyone who calls, attempts to call, or might call the bully to account, and may pursue a vindictive vendetta against anyone who dares to hold him/her accountable.

Sees nothing wrong with his/her behavior and chooses to remain oblivious to the discrepancy between how he/she likes to be seen and how he/she is actually perceived by others.

Is convinced of his/her superiority and has an overbearing belief in his/her qualities of leadership, but cannot distinguish between leadership (decisiveness, assertiveness, trust, integrity) and bullying (impulsiveness, aggression, manipulation, distrust, deceitfulness).

Is constantly imposing on others a false reality made up of distortion and fabrication.

As you read over the profile of a serial bully, did it describe anyone you know at work? If yes, then you may be an observer or victim of bullying. If too many of the characteristics fit your personality, then you may be the bully, but according to the profile, you would not admit it or even recognize your sociopathic tendencies.

Most people do not recognize bullying, but realize that there are problems at work that make it difficult to stay motivated. Unlike assault or harassment, bullying is subtle and may involve hundreds of incidents that appear trivial when viewed out of context and in isolation; so therefore, bystanders can’t see or understand the whole picture.

Many people will not speak up, even after they recognize a bully because they lack the moral courage to stand up to one. In an environment where bullying is entrenched, it is regarded as “normal” behavior or part of the culture. Typically, there is a climate of fear and low morale throughout the organization. Those with a feeling of hopelessness will “vote with their feet” by quitting their job or retiring early.

When one does take a stand, the bully will often move into phase two of the bullying process, which is elimination. This tactic tends to keep the people in their place while the bully mounts a covert attack designed to force the victim to resign or create a paper trail that can be used to terminate the individual. Those who refuse to support the bully are isolated, victimized, have undue constraints or workloads imposed, and are subjected to disciplinary proceedings on trumped-up charges as a prelude to termination.

Bullies don’t just stop bullying on their own, but have a compulsive need to exert power over others. If you’re the bully, get some professional help. If you’re being bullied or are a witness to bullying, take a stand. For some ideas on how to deal with a workplace bully, go to www.bullyonline.org and read some of their insightful articles.

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[I]Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is a partner with BizResults, LLC (www.bizresults.org). They can be contacted at biz_results@yahoo.com.[/I]