Volume 5, Issue 2
October, 2011
SCOPE FOR PARAS, CUSTODIAL, PLANT OPS., BUS DRIVERS AND OTHER EDU. EMPLOYEES
WORKPLACE BULLYING
Workplace bullying, like childhood bullying, occurs when individuals or groups act aggressive or unreasonably against an employee or co-worker. Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation. These actions can often intimidate, degrade or undermine an employee; they may even create risk to the health or safety of the employee(s). This type of aggression is difficult because, unlike the typical forms of school bullying, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society.
Workplace bullying often involves an abuse or misuse of power. In a school setting, administrators often take on the role of the bully. “Tough” or “demanding” bosses are not necessarily bullies as long as they are respectful and fair and their primary motivation is to obtain the best performance by setting high yet reasonable expectations for their employees. Some bullying situations involve employees bullying their peers, rather than a supervisor bullying an employee. In either case, bullying not only affects the person(s) being targeted, but it disturbs the atmosphere of the workplace and lowers morale and productivity.
It is important that we develop a Zero Tolerance mentality against bullying in the workplace. Work shouldn’t hurt.
INSTITUTIONAL BULLYING
Institutional bullying occurs when bullying becomes accepted as part of the workplace culture. Since the majority of bullying cases occur between supervisors and their employees, people accept the behavior and choose not to report it. They either feel that the supervisor is acting within the realm of his/her managing power or simply for fear of retaliation.
Currently, district employees are so concerned with keeping their jobs that they turn the other cheek to behaviors that make them uncomfortable in the workplace.
Silence Yields Acceptance
If you are aware of bullying in the workplace and do not take action, then you are accepting a share of the responsibility for any future abuses. This means that witnesses of bullying behavior should be encouraged to report any such incidences.
Individuals are less likely to engage in bullying types of behavior when it is understood that the district does not tolerate such actions and that the perpetrator is likely to be punished.
Accepting this behavior affects the efficiency of the entire workplace. The cost of bullying can generally be broken down into three categories:
1. Replacing staff members that leave as a result of being bullied, cost of training new employees.
2. Work effort being displaced as staff cope with bullying incidents (i.e., effort being directed away from work productivity and towards coping)
3. Costs associated with investigations of ill treatment and potential legal action.
Bullies cannot run a well-organized workplace because staff turnover and sick leave will be high while morale and productivity will be low. Stress, depression and physical health problems result in time away from work that is costly in terms of workers’ compensation and lost productivity. By ignoring bullying behavior, you accept all the poor consequences that follow.
What can employees do about bullying?
Regain control by:
· Recognizing that you are being bullied;
· Realizing that you are NOT the source of the problem; and
· Recognizing that bullying is about control, and therefore has nothing to do with your performance.
Take action by:
· Keeping a diary detailing the nature of the bullying
· (e.g., dates, times, places, what was said or done and who was present); and
· Obtaining copies of harassing/bullying paper trails; hold on to copies of documents that contradict the bully’s accusations against you (e.g., time sheets, audit reports, etc.)
· Expect the bully to deny and perhaps misconstrue your accusations; have a witness with you during meetings with the bully; report the behavior to the appropriate person.
McAllen AFT is very concerned with the bullying incidents that may be going on in the district and we would like to address the issue, but we need your help. We are developing a brief survey to collect data about district happening and we would like you to be a part of this new campaign to stop workplace bullying in the district.
Please let us know if you are interested in participating by helping us come up with questions for the survey. Once we have conducted the survey we will provide you with the results and together we will find a solution to any district-wide problems.