Australia-wide, bullying is considered unacceptable behaviour. However, although most organisations have policies and procedures on defining, acknowledging and dealing with bullying, the reality is that much of it goes undetected or denied. Further it can be difficult for the victim to prove and therefore to defend against. This is because much bullying is invisible. Namie (2003) (www.bullyinginstitute.org) has given a 5-point definition of workplace bullying:
According to Namie, victims share many things in common. Typically the victim is female and interestingly she is actually quite resilient, since she has tolerated the bullying behaviour for 23 months or more, sometimes without even complaining about it to management. Contrary to popular belief, the victim is not weak but is often highly accomplished, independent, strong, competent and well educated. Her strengths seem to threaten the bully. The bully is usually someone in authority over her and recruits others to collude in the bullying, sometimes without their knowledge or awareness.
Namie describes the top 25 tactics employed by bullies and they include false accusations, criticisms, stand-over tactics, gossiping, undermining, verbal abuse and getting others to turn against the person. Of course there are many other tactics, perhaps the most insidious and damaging are the nonverbal signals that are far more difficult to prove such as glaring, rolling the eyes (indicating contempt), giving the silent treatment, "accidentally" shutting the door in someone's face, smiling acerbically, turning one's back on the victim and speaking in a harsh or condescending tone of voice. The victim cannot directly name many of the bullying behaviours because it can be hard to put a finger on them, especially if the person is not very articulate or observant - instead it might be experienced as a "gut feeling" or a sense of low self-esteem.
The impact on the victim is profound and produces a large number of psychological and medical symptoms (Namie identified a list of at least 33 symptoms in a sample of 1,000 victims). Psychological symptoms can range from clinical depression, high anxiety or even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Medical symptoms include insomnia, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome and even a lowered life expectancy to name just a few. These symptoms may persist even after reemployment. Sometimes the first overtly noticeable signs that all is not well with anxious and depressed employees are when they perform poorly, become absent (e.g. on sick or stress leave), arrive late or quit altogether. Where the bully is having an impact on a number of people and causing dysfunctional interpersonal dynamics there may be high staff turnover.
Even more concerning is that the organisation unwittingly penalises the victim and rewards the bully - most victims end up being fired, transferred or quitting whereas fewer than 13% of bullies lose their jobs or are transferred and less than 4% stop bullying after punishment or sanctions (Namie, 2003). Many get promoted or otherwise rewarded or ignored, very few are made accountable. Alternatively, organisations lose valuable and competent employees with over 70% of them being relocated, fired or quitting.
By conducting an in-depth assessment, I can help you to discern even subtle signs of bullying. I have skills in intervening with the right people – those who are causing the problems and those on the receiving end. I can help to diffuse tensions, mediate conflicts and establish a more harmonious work environment, with those most in need receiving the help they need, when they need it, directly, as it happens in the workplace.
