“Boys will be boys”, “they are just jealous”, “ignore them!” all things that most of us, as teenagers, might have heard falling from the mouths of our parents as they tried to pacify our concerns at bearing the brunt of callous bullies. However, as adults we simply don’t expect to be bullied but according to a recent survey by The Trades Union Congress (TUC), we are.
The survey states startling figures of 2 million workers having suffered at the hands of a bully in the last six months. Bullying can come in many forms: physical, verbal, even intimidation and the result is a massive loss of working days as this problem is thought to account for up to 50% of stress-related illnesses in the workplace. How does this happen in an environment where, as adults, we hope for mutual understanding, respect and the ability to work together despite differences?
It seems that those in power can abuse their position making staff further down the ranks feel useless, helpless and unable to stand up and say anything. A survey carried out by Anti-bullying charity the Andrea Adams Trust and magazine Personnel Today also found that bullying is more prolific in target driven environments where staff and managers are under increased pressure.
However, increased pressure on bosses does not excuse behaviour that belittles or upsets staff. In the case of Angela, an office assistant in a medium-sized firm, she fell prey to the hands of her line manager.
“This woman was making my life a living hell every day by picking my work apart to catch me out. I constantly felt on edge and tearful and this led to my inability to perform to the best of my ability.” It doesn’t take a scientist to see that when people are bullied or intimidated they feel at a low and often make mistakes because they are so paranoid.
So, as a boss, how can you make sure that your business does not suffer at the hands of bullies? The first step you need to take is to draw up an anti-bullying and harassment policy. You need to draw up points of procedure that people can follow if they feel they are being bullied, who they can talk to and most importantly, emphasise the seriousness of bullying. You need to make your staff aware that you care about their comfort at work and that any form of bullying or harassment that could affect a persons self-esteem will not be tolerated. It is important that your staff know that you are serious and that they feel they can come to you should there be any problems and that something will be done.
In some instances employees get caught out when they do stand up and try to change things by talking to someone only to find out that the person is in cahoots with the bully and this can be a devastating blow. Have a person dedicated to this issue in a small company and in a larger company, train line managers to deal with the problem initially. Everyone must be aware of how debilitating being bullied can be and every bullied person has the right to a sympathetic ear and an investigation into the allegations.
Most bullying goes unrecorded through simple fear of standing up to people. Don’t let this happen to you. In the long run you will get more productivity and loyalty from happy staff who feel valued and know that they can speak up should their be a problem that is affecting their work.
