Is your workplace free of bullying?

 

[caption id="attachment_9741" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bullying - wikimedia commons"][/caption]

EDITOR -  Ruth Sirman works as a
mediator with companies, schools and individuals.  She observes there are serious similarities between schoolyard and workplace and certain signs and symptoms.  Do you have this problem in your workplace?




This is Sirman's
perceptions of the issue as noted in a recent press release on the
subject of workplace bullying.  She notes that understanding what
bullying is in the workplace is one of the most important steps in
eradicating it.

It is certainly a hot topic, with organizations
organized specifically against bullying, newspapers covering the topic,
states considering special regulations to stop workplace bullying,
attorneys targeting bullying, and conversations taking place in the
boardroom as well as the schoolroom on the toxicity of workplace
bullying.

Sirman says as a
mediator, "the main difference between school yard bullying and
workplace bullying is the height and age of the players. Other than that
they are scarily similar and very familiar to many of us who have
witnessed or lived one or both scenarios.

Because Sirman works as a
mediator she is able to look at not just the statistics on the cost of
workplace bullying, but the  how organizations can
prevent these problems from happening by knowing some of the signs and symptoms:

- Recognizing the
warning signs of a ‘Culture of Condoning’ that may be silently
supporting and rewarding inappropriate actions or behavior that include:

o Inappropriate jokes particularly at the expense of particular groups or individuals

o Apologies that seem
insincere or that are offered repeatedly – “Sorry - I probably shouldn’t
tell this joke” or “Oops – I need to watch out for the Harassment
Police!” or similar off the cuff remarks

o People who seem overly nervous, quiet or reluctant to render an opinion or take a stand

o Comments such as “Oh
that’s just the way ___ is – s/he doesn’t mean anything by it” or “You
don’t want to bring that up – the last thing you want to do is get ___
gunning for you…”

Knowing the path and the characteristics of bullying in the workplace is an important step in eradicating the hurt and the impact on the workplace culture Sirman reminds us.

"The key to prevention
and addressing the situation is a recognition that this can and does
happen – even in the best of situations. And when it does show signs of

happening, it will not get better by ignoring, denying or minimizing it. "