Workplace Bullying and IntimidationIs your lunch money at stake?

Improving Workplace Behavior

Bullying and Intimidation

• What is it?– An abuse of power– Deliberate mistreatment including verbal

abuse– Strategic moves to render the target

unproductive and unsuccessful– Promotes fear as a desired workplace

emotion– Can occur among peers and from

management– Can occur between individuals of the same-

sex and same-race by both men and women– Undermines the interest of the company

Profiles of a bully

• The Screaming Mimi

“is the stereotypical bully, controls the emotional tone for everyone else. He toxifies the workplace with mood swings and unpredictable displays of anger. Targets are publicly humiliated to convince witnesses that the bully is to be feared. He usually stops short of physical violence, but this volatile individual poses the violent risk employers fear most.”“Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility” by Gary Namie Ivey Business Journal 2003

• The Constant Critic

“is the hyper-critical nitpicker. Her attention to minutiae and obsession over other’s performance is the way she hides her own deficiencies and insecurities. This bully resorts to name calling. She loves to complain about everyone else’s “incompetence.” She invents targets’ “errors” to belittle and confuse them. Though she prefers behind-closed door settings, she can berate targets in public, too.” “Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility” by Gary Namie Ivey Business Journal 2003

• The Two-Headed Snake

“slithers up the organization chart, reserving brutality for those below. Snakes defame the reputation of targets to boost their own self-image. The Snake spreads rumors and engineers “divide and conquer” schemes within work teams to turn co-workers against the target. His version of events is always believed while the target’s perspective is discounted.”

“Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility” by Gary Namie Ivey Business Journal 2003

• The Gatekeeper

“is obsessed with control. She allocates time, money, staffing and information in ways that ensure her target’s failure. Then, she has an excuse to complain about “performance problems.”

“Workplace bullying: Escalated incivility” by Gary Namie Ivey Business Journal 2003

What does bully behavior look like from managers? • Assigns tasks without training or time to learn

new skills• Sets unrealistic goals or deadlines• Denies necessary information/resources• Increases responsibility while removing

authority• Either overloads the target or takes away work

replacing proper task with lower level work or demeaning tasks

• Surprise meetings with the boss where the target is humiliated

• Others are told to stop working or talking with the target

• The bully labels the target as a troublemaker • The bully screams and yells at the target and

encourages others to do the same

What does bullying behavior look like from peers?

• Constant criticism of the target to the manager and peers on personal characteristics or work performance.

• Isolating the target from other peers by refusing to socialize with the target and threatening others who wish to socialize with the target.

• Withholding needed facts or supplies from the target.

• Spreading gossip and rumors about the targets performance or behavior.

• May scream, yell, or call the target names and encourages others to do the same

Top 6 behaviors identified as bullying

• Profanity• Yelling• Threatening• Rudeness• Belittling• Invading Personal space

while doing any of the above.

Examples – quotes from substantiated investigations

• Executive– “This could get ugly for more than one person"– “Back away from this agenda or you will lose”– Describing employees as “dirt bags” and

“cancer”• Management

– "I’ll get even with you I promise"– "Your life will be hell”– “I wouldn't hire you for 2-cents an hour”– "I’m the one who decides who stays, how you

get the raise - always remember that"• Non-Management

– “My uncle is a VP; he can get anyone in trouble”– “I’m looking for my next victim”

Employee description of bullying behavior by management

• Intimidation• Retaliation• Browbeat• Harassment• “_ is hounding me”• “I just cannot get a break with _”• “I am being mistreated”• “_ is a tyrant”• “I am being singled out.”• “I am treated like an outsider”• “I cannot seem to do anything right.”

Common responses to complaints

• Appeasement– “That’s just the way he/she is”– “Just do it X’s way this time.”– “After this task is done, things will go back

to normal, I promise.”• Blaming both Parties

– “Sounds like a personality conflict”– “You must have done something to him/her

for them to behave this way.”– “Just work it out!”

• Ignoring the issue– “You should find a new job”– “I’m glad it’s you and not me”– “That’s why they call it work”

Is it the target’s fault?

• Stereotype is that bullied person is weak and incompetent

– Often a strong performer– Often well liked by others– Usually very cooperative and

nonchalant which makes them a perfect target for the bully.

Impact of Bullying

• High absenteeism • High turnover (internal/external)• Low morale• Decrease in productivity• Increase in health care cost/EAP usage• Legal action

Case Study: What would you do?

An employee reports to you their manager is abusive in her treatment of her staff.  The allegation is that she acts in a tyrannical fashion, verbally berates staff members in public, and is openly critical of their work without offering suggestions for improvement.  She often expresses her frustration by cursing and yelling at others. As a peer you have been a recipient of similar behavior from the manager. You were recently told that two employees have gone home upset in the last week and know that in the last six months, 5 people in the organization have left the company or moved to other organizations

Discussion Questions

• What is expected behavior?– Relevant Company Policies listed

here• How is the bully’s behavior

different from performance management?

• How is the bully’s behavior different from disagreements among peers?

• How should we do it?