Kevin Rowan column
Nov 7 2005 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal
Most people may not be aware of it, but today is `ban bullying at work day'.
This is a campaign supported by the TUC which aims to highlight the dramatic scale and devastating impact of bullying in the workplace, and promote solutions to prevent millions more being victims.
Bullying and the inability of most employers to deal with it, leads to some horrendous consequences. For individuals, being on the receiving end of bullying can result in physical and psychological damage.
Individuals do suffer stress which can lead to cardiac problems, as well as other physical symptoms such as skin rashes, and, potentially, long-term mental illness. Individuals too often reach the point where they are no longer able to work, ending up on the sick or leaving the company. In many cases, their confidence is so shattered they are able only to take jobs at a much less demanding level than their skills and knowledge would normally allow.
For employers, the stark fact is that absenteeism due to bullying accounts for the loss of some 18 million working days a year; not to mention costs of replacing staff who leave and the productivity cost of having people work below their potential.
And the patterns of who is bullied and by whom reveal a fairly clear picture. A recent TUC survey of over 5,000 employees showed in three quarters of bullying incidents, the perpetrator was a manager or supervisor.
One of the key factors in bullying situations is the power relationship between bullies and victims. The fact is that many workers are promoted to management without receiving the training they need. Managers who don't know how to manage often revert to bullying as their only modus operandi.
Managers themselves are often bullied in turn by their bosses. A Unison/Acas survey found that almost half of middle managers have fallen victim at some point.
But there are very practical measures that all employers can take to tackle this problem and overcome the fact that, in many cases, there seems to be an organisational inability to stop bullying. Employers should treat this issue in the same way as any other workplace hazard or management challenge.
Victims need to be taken seriously, listened to and supported and not dismissed or castigated for not coping with the macho environment that often supports bullying.
All workplaces should have a clear statement and policies which underline respect and dignity at work as key principles. The policy should make it clear that harassment and intimidation is unacceptable and those who victimise others will be treated severely. And there is also a case for some education - many workers and managers do not understand what bullying is, how their actions are actually intimidating, and how to behave differently - and part of that is learning how to manage properly.
Leadership is not about shouting at people until they do what you want, it is about inspiring and motivating people to choose to behave and act in the way you want. Many managers need to learn that.
