I read an article this morning entitled Workplace Bullying: Psychological Violence? This was well written and informative. It gave a few examples of recent stories shared that involved bullying growing up and how victims were still being affected by this trauma.
One thing I want to point out is that bullies do not “grow up” as they age but they “grow worse”. They take their dirty deeds and bring them into the workplace. You can find them picking out their targets and cornering them like a cat corners a bird. Some examples of what they do are spread lies, exclude others, give false information on purpose, constant criticism. I could go on and on ad nauseum. Basically, they spend their time sucking up to the boss to persuade them that their ideas and beliefs are gospel. If they are the boss, they just revel in their power. They twist things to make themselves look good while making their target look bad. It never ends and it is physically and emotionally draining. Not to mention that companies loose a lot of money each year as a result of this. Victims develop problems like depression, anxiety and are overwhelmed with stress. A lot of sick days are used as a result of this.
One point mentioned in this article that I wanted to point out is that a person cannot work to his full potential if being bullied at work. With constant criticism, games and manipulations, how can one focus and try to do a good job? They can’t! A person does not feel safe or secure then yes, they are going to screw up.
Please, educate yourselves on this problem that persists in the workplace. Do not get involved in the politics and games. Stay away from all of that. Read your code of conduct and if any of these behaviors mentioned in the article sounds like you, do something about it! Bystanders, do something and don’t egg the problem on or add to it. If a bully targets one person, he will target another. Don’t give them any power. This is a great article and one I highly recommend others take a look at.
There is enough evil in the world. Please don’t take it to work and add to it.
Resource Cited:
http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1780/
Elizabeth Bennett is the author of Peer Abuse Know More! Bullying From a Psychological Perspective and resides in Los Angeles, California. To learn more, visit http://www.peerabuse.info/
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3 comments:
Just amazing how much effort people can put into being mean and playing games.
Hi Elizabeth,
I found your site by reading the article on FedSmith.com. Thank you for sharing your story so openly - I am sure it has helped countless people who see their own thoughts and feelings there, assuring them that they are not the only ones.
Bullying is definitely violence and abuse towards another and needs to be stopped as much as any other form of violence can be stopped. It would be wonderful if we could count on those non-bullys around us to step up and stop it, but, as your experience and others shows, that is usually not the case. Therefore, unfortunately, I can see no other way than to promote anti-bullying legislation that ensures unpleasant consequences for the bullies. Once I retire from my present bully-ridden environment, I too plan to use the painful experiences I have survived to help others, with counseling and in advocating for such legislation. I believe there are many people out there who still don't know what they are dealing with - that it is a real phenomenon. They, like I did and it sounds like you did, may feel like they are in the 'twilight zone' where nothing makes sense, where the nicer they are or the better job they do, the more they are attacked. Once I learned that I was the target of bullying, it helped me understand the environment I am in. That in turn, has helped me survive. Keep up the great work getting out the message and God bless you!
Hi Annonymous, thanks for your well thought out comments. I am so sorry to hear you are having to deal with this nonsense at work. It is such a waste of time and energy. I hope you will be able to help others too. Many do not know about this because we live in a society where this is acceptable. This is why I call it what it is; ABUSE!
WFDoglover, I agree. I wish people would use that energy on more positive stuff like world peace, helping an orphanage...do something worthwhile and productive and not feed into this crap. Its not worth it at the end of the day....
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