MSN: "Workplace Bullying on the Rise" - Has this happened to you?

[pathansen]

LINK:
http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3114-Workplace-Issues-Workplace-bullying-on-the-rise-according-to-new-study/?SiteId=cbmsnhp43114&sc_extcmp=JS_3114_home1

According to a new CareerBuilder study, 35 percent of workers said they have felt bullied at work, up from 27 percent last year.

Workers reported being bullied in the following ways:
•Falsely accused of mistakes -- 42 percent
•Ignored -- 39 percent
•Used different standards or policies toward me than other workers -- 36 percent
•Constantly criticized -- 33 percent
•Someone didn't perform certain duties, which hurt my work -- 31 percent
•Yelled at by boss in front of co-workers -- 28 percent
•Belittling comments were made about my work during meetings -- 24 percent
•Gossiped about -- 26 percent
•Someone stole credit for my work -- 19 percent
•Purposely excluded from projects or meetings -- 18 percent
•Picked on for personal attributes -- 15 percent

Bullied workers have handled the situation in different ways:
•49 percent of victims reported confronting the bully themselves.
•50 percent of those who confronted the bully said the bullying stopped; 11 percent said it got worse; 38 percent said the bullying didn't change.
•27 percent reported it to their HR department.
•43 percent of those who reported it to HR said action was taken; 57 percent said nothing was done.

[Brickbat]

1. Yes, people don't need unions at all.

[Lucy Goosey]

9. Excellent point

I was quite seriously bullied by a supervisor, and my union rep was instrumental in helping me keep my job, not to mention my sanity.

[seabeyond]

2. i think bullying over all is probably up and internet a good place to practice. not to mention

the acceptance of racism, sexism, homophobia, feeling of allowance from society to adopt these issues. also the repug party is getting votes for the act of bullying. it started with gingrich. was all of who bushco was.

[HiPointDem]

3. bullying is up everywhere because life has become meaner & more competitive, by design.

[Darth_Kitten]

12. Bullying is how incompetent people cope with life.

These bullies go after people they envy or are jealous of.

[HiPointDem]

15. sometimes; sometimes not. it's just as often that bullies are dominant people picking on less

Last edited Sun Sep 30, 2012, 12:25 PM - Edit history (2)

dominant people they don't envy at all -- they pick on them because they perceive them as weak. they pick on them because they *can.*

And because, in an increasingly dog-eat-dog society, kicking perceived underlings & beating down others in order to rise is increasingly perceived as OK.

Our leaders and opinion-makers belittle & bad-mouth underlings -- why shouldn't we?

[hlthe2b]

4. I have found that worksites that includes a signficant core of very long term employees....

who seem to interact well within the group--yet with lots of turn-over in staff with 1-3 years of longevity, is a HUGE warning sign for deeply entrenched bullying. Even worse if you see that middle management and/or HR staff socialize with these long term employees. Final clincher is if the Senior Manager/Director is an absentee manager or conflict-averse and if your own (potential) position's authorities/responsibilities are anything but clearly and distinctly delineated.

In this time of job insecurity, it seems almost cruel to talk about warning signs of organizational dysfunction (as if all could intentionally avoid these settings), but still. The above signs to me are enough to consider walking away from any consideration..

[KurtNYC]

5. I think it is also common in some family owned businesses

where family members hold key positions. The will do and say what they want, the law be damned.

I was at one gig where the employees were laughing about how they made the "temp" cry. Ugh.

[hlthe2b]

8. Yes... I so wish I'd known about some of these warning signs much earlier on in my career.

sigh...

[deutsey]

6. Most of these have happened to me over the past 10 years

Things have actually improved a lot over the past couple years, though.

[Darth_Kitten]

14. I had it really bad 10 years ago.

Was bullied by a very bitter, envious woman. She knew from the start I was on to her and her games. Vile, stupid woman. The stories she made up about me were very damaging, but my workplace has a history of catering to these damaged people. Eventually she retired, but I left the section before she did. It's kind of disappointing to me that a friend of mine is still on rather pleasant terms with her (even though I told my friend about this person, she was always nice to HER.) Personally, I wouldn't be chummy with a person who caused one of my family or friends pain, but that's just me.

It's amazing the energy the idiots of the world invest in people who are bright, competent and don't abuse the system. VERY few people will come forward to back you up or support you, for fear of backlash or whatever.

[Sherman A1]

7. Interesting

Yet, I wonder about some of the criteria listed.

Gossiped about? Certainly can be hurtful, but whom among us has not at least talked about a co-worker in one form or another? I know I am spoken about by some at work and frankly could care less what they say, I really don't need my co-workers approval.
Ignored? Is it sometimes not best to ignore a co-worker with whom if you engage will simply come to grief?
Different Standards? Okay, but is life a complete cookie cutter approach to everything?

There are nuances to pretty much everything in life.

[Darth_Kitten]

13. Different standards, YES!

How would you like to do the duties of 3-5 positions because your pampered, lazy co-worker gets to chat on the phone all day with his friends and nothing is done? In addition, another co-worker is buddies with the so-called supervisor and finds certain duties too hard?

So after being made to pick up the slack for these people, you are also expected to do your own very busy job plus handle the duties of others on vacation?

Yeah, those different standards.

[blackcatter]

10. The bully is an organisational psychopath

If you are confused about what is happening to you, then I suggest the definition of an organisational psychopath explains this as the individual's personality make-up.
I believe that unless the victim has an incredible support network, the person will experience working conditions so difficult that they will decide to leave or they will be forced to leave the workplace, be it through sick leave, a worker's compensation claim or relocation (internal move or change of employer).
Bullying comes as a shock when the victim realises the predicament they are in. The shock and surrounding circumstances are perceived as a threat to their workplace standing, their personal values and to their overall welling being, psychological and physical. The emotional pain cannot be comprehended and the physical unwellness complicates matters.
As a workplace colleague who becomes aware of the bullying and harrassment of a fellow worker, there is nothing better in taking the victim aside and expressing your personal support for them. This may be in the form of providing a listening ear, arranging to attend a meeting with management or HR with the victim, offering to be a witness if you have heard or seen something and providing the organisational policies to help victim decide what to do about the situation.
Whether the victim leaves the organisation can depend on the relationship with colleagues and how much they are prepared to cop. Off course, much better not to happen in the first place!

[Le Taz Hot]

19. Good post

And welcome to DU. Brit or Aussie? ("organisation" as opposed to "organization&quot

[slampoet]

11. I had a workplace bully boss that i am happy to say, Blew his head off

Glad he is dead.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

16. This seems like very dysfunctional workplace stuff but an awfully broad definition of "bullying."

[Reader Rabbit]

17. Workplace bullying is definitely on the rise in public education.

Many of the current education "reforms" aid and abet the process.

Bullying of Teachers Pervasive in Many Schools

[rainbow4321]

18. Oh my goodness, yes

And the really bad thing is..I work in a **federal** healthcare facility.

Co-workers who spend the majority of their time either on their cell phones or the internet..hours at a time. They have their core group of peeps who look the other way at this behavior, so the brunt of the work has to be done by those of us who actually show up at work and, uh, WORK.

Those who engage in the bully behavior will trash others in front of other co-workers, in front of managers, in front of patients. And they get away with it.

Management has even admitted that it is bullying is a big problem in our department, they have had people from HR and EEO come to our department's meetings to try and stop the behavior but it's useless.

The bullies know exactly what they are doing..snide comments here and there abound..passive/aggressive behavior (trash you or your job title/licensure right in front of you while they direct their comments at a fellow bully in the room--trying to get a angry response from you).
Try to make one do their JOB and you then have the bully gather up their peeps and turn on you. Nothing ever happens to them, no consquences, so the people who are the targets are like "why bother reporting any of it?".

What is horrible, too, is that when we do get brand new workers in there, the "bullies" are quick to befriend them and before long the new workers whose work ethic looks promising suddenly change...they start to fall into the bully's cliques and behavior (late for work, calling in sick, surfing the internet, on the phone, sitting around socializing nonstop while the rest of us carry the load).
You just sit there and shake your head because some of the new workers are new to the profession and you just want to shake them and tell them that they are being led down the wrong path. But it is like trying to pry a cult member away from a cult.


I just try to NOT take their flame bait because that usually gets them more pissed that they are not getting a reaction. I imagine these grown adults (in their 30's, 40's. 50's) engaging in this behavior are the same ones who were the school bullies back when they were in school.