BULLYING AT WORKPLACE

By JULY ERWANNI BT SAMSUDIN

1.0

INTRODUCTION

Bullying. When speak the word bullying, first picture can we imagine is someone being hurt physically by other. But, is it all? Associate with bashing, a physical contact only? Bullying is not about anger, its about contempt-a powerful feeling of dislike toward somebody considered to be worthless, inferior, and undeserving of respect. Barbara Coloroso(2004)

These shows that bullying is not plainly someone are full of rage and end up attacked someone physically. It is more likely hatred that making someone being mean to others. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (in Barbara Coloroso 2004) did classified bullying as dehumanization, not being able to see the humanity in the other, an act that make someone lose empathy, the sacred things that makes us different from animals. 2.0 DEFINITION

From the origin, bully word first time use in Three laws by John Bale(1538). At that time, he expresses bully as sweetheart. After centuries, bully has transformed in other meaning, (in positive way). Only at mid 19th century, bullying began to represent as intolerant attitude, and widely use since that.

To define bullying, the best reference we can seek is by Dr. Dan Olweus a Norway researcher, who lead the way to understanding bullying since 1970s. From his research, he defined bullying as,

A person is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons. He defines negative action as "when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways" (Olweus, 1987, pg.4).

Bullying is an act that done consciously, intently and continually to harm others. Bullying also part of abusing because it cause damaged in physical and emotion.

3.0

WORKPLACE BULLYING

Workplace bully is a bully among adult. It is different from child bully in contact bully shield their act with the words managing. Catherine Mattice and Karen Garman(2010) describe workplace bullying as, "systematic aggressive communication, manipulation of work, and acts aimed at humiliating or degrading one or more individual that create an unhealthy and unprofessional power imbalance between bully and target(s), result in psychological consequences for targets and co-workers, and cost enormous monetary damage to an organizations bottom line"

Workplace bully is bullying among co-worker or abusing power by head at the place of work. These types of bully are more organized and sometimes well planning in order to attack a person or a group. Bullying at workplace can reduce the productivity and make the uncomfortable environment of workplace arise.

Researcher did find bullying at workplace is not an accident, but it is a slowly but surely developing process. The first stage of the bullying, target people are normally exposed to destructive behavior that hard to identify because its no directly and tactless (Bjrqkvist, 1992). After sometimes, bullying is done in publicly aggressive act. Victims are cut off and shun, and shamed openly. Its continuing until all kind of aggression used. Allport (1994) listed four stage of how discrimination are perform that is similar as stage of bullying. The earliest phase is "anti-location", where only small group involves and not in front of the victims. Isolated is the next phased. Then in the third phase target is publicly hassled and

single out or turn to objects of joke. Final stage is "extermination". This is when victims is execution from work place, weather commit suicide (Leymann, 1990 at Stle Einarsen, 1999 ) or resigned (Leymann, 1996 at Stle Einarsen, 1999).

4.0

CAUSES OF WORKPLACE BULLYING

As human, we belief everything happens has its cause and effect. What is the reason that causes workplace bullying? Based on many studies conducted, researcher identified two main reasons: the character of the victims and psychosocial aspect. Victim felt their personality may become the reason why they being bullied. Most of the victim appears vulnerable; low confident, shy and incapable managing. Some victim is easy to provoke, and think negatively about almost everything. Other reason is the environment at workplace, the tense at work to reach target. Social relation among co-worker, the competitive and the urge of acknowledgement also make the situation worse. Weak managing and the position bully possessed also contributed to the bullying at workplace. Bully is actually a manager, but a bad one, who usually find fault and didnt see thru positive side. Seigne (1998), Bjrkqvist (et al., 1994a), (Vartia, 1996) and (Einarsen et al., 1994a) in Stle Einarsen, (1999) find most of the targeted, shoulder the responsibility towards the complex personality of the bully. Victims sense the envy in bully character. Because victim is seeing as creative person, with new and good ideas, bully feel intimidated and turn to harass them. Leymann (1993) in Stle Einarsen, (1999) list four major causes harassment at workplace. There are the lacks of proper set of managing, incapable of leader, unstable environment work place and low ethical in worker. 5.0 MANAGING VS BULLYING

The most painful experience is being bully by our own boss. The one who should take care and treat us fairly is the one who wear the devil mask. But these superior bullies shield their act by pointed to the victim as unproductive worker, causes a big lost. How can we recognize and

differentiate superior bully and a good managing?

A good manager is a good leader. He has a good admiration of short and long term requirements, aim and planning. He shares all the successful with the subordinate and responsible for failure. He gain knowledge from occurrence event and use it to develop his to improve his proficiency. Treat everyone fairly, and assume all the subordinates are his subordinates. Appreciate others and welcome intelligent people with open hand. High emotional intelligent and high emotions control. Motivate others, guide and build team spirit. Always give a second chance, hardly to punish mistake. He sets an example, highly moral and self integrity.

Bully superior in other hand, is blur about his expectation. Did not planning well. All the successful is his own work and all the failing is someone else fault. The entire current event means nothing, didnt learn from it. Prejudice and hate the excellent worker as they will intermediate him, surpasses him. Low emotional intelligent and easy to be provoke at. Make the group spirit fall, instruct a blur order. He is easy to punish without further investigation. Use power to block the critique.

6.0

CONSEQUENCES

Every action has its consequences. In the bully situation, bullies, victims, and not forget bystander must have some effect onto their lives. It is a short-term or long one?

Most of the researcher fined victims of bully cannot perform well in their working place. Victims not only hurt their emotion, but it cost their physical fitness and most of all their efficiency as a human being. Victim suffer work trauma and spend much of time thinking concerning the incident, try to explain to co-worker in order to gain support and guard them self. Victims also feel stressed and low spirit and lead to frequently medical leave. Apart being targeted, victims always blame themselves, suffered alone and think it all happen

because of them. The bully incident rewind again and again in victims mind until they exhausted. Victims try to make things differently using solely their brain. Later on, victim slowly isolated themselves out of shame and after being consistently bullied. Victim is unhappy, frightened, lost confidence, and can lead to most dangerous act, suicide. This also led to unhealthy body such as obesity, back pain, headaches, stomach cramps, restless; unconscious response from the body. Because of the trauma, victim is misjudged as vulnerable and weak. Victim is frail and looks pathetic because of the scar from bullied incident. The pain victims had is irresistible and victims cannot cover it up by pretend it didnt happen.

Public may think victims get bullied because of their incompetency. Bullies at work actually clever to cover their act by make up stories of victims fault. Most of the victim at workplace is a person with capacity to make changes and do great in future.

Bystander or co-worker in workplace actually realize it but didnt do anything to help, afraid of becoming the next victim. But not all co-workers just sit back and watch, some of them want to be the bosss pet, will make this situation benefit to them. They will make up story, adding oil to the fire and worsen the victim conditions.

What happen to victims function at home, after they left the work place? If the victims are a parent, can they be prepared to be the best for their children, regarding what happen at workplace? The pathetic things is they may become a bully at home, yelling and humiliate their child. Become the most unwanted person at home. Their family may avoid them too, afraid of them. So victims become more and more miserable. Bullying is a violation of human rights. There is no right for bosses to yelled, publicly humiliated and degrading his co-worker. There is no right actually to bully others in any kind of mean. What victims need is consideration, concern and support during all the time after the incident to coop with their daily life.

7.0

HOW TO AVOID BULLY IN WORKPLACE 7.1 WHAT VICTIMS CAN DO

What can you do if you are victims in workplace? Above all, victims must know, this is a bullying. The failure to identified the incident, victim may end up as a prolong victims. Victim must stay calm and dont show any expression of anger or shattered confident.

Victims must have a record of how they being bullying in every detail. This likely the guarantee if anything bigger comes out. Maybe this is going to be an evidence for other superior managing or even go to court.

Victims also need to justify themselves only to state fact, but they must not fight back in a loud voice and get agitated. Confront the bully in professional manner, best of it bring along a witness. Ask the bully to stop, or you will take this thing further. Victim must control their self; make it as clean and firm.

If the bully is not the owner of the company, he eventually has the boss too. Victim can seize this opportunity to complaint about the bully and stated what they want. Bring along evidence if necessary. Victim stated the solution they want, either to transfer, make the bully transfer or accusation trial, a trial to prove bully is wrong.

Grievance hearing is another move that a victim can take. Its a face to face situation including the higher superior. Its may be not a good solution because other manager will eventually side with him. But this is the process victim must do before move on to other level.

If victim is seeing professional help because of the stress they endure, then its a record that legal to take to the court. Victim actually can get money over non protective employer. Victim can turn to legal advice and ask opinion expert. Whether a lawyer or labor union.

Victim may not control what the bullies have to store on them. But victim can surely do something to make it stop. Whether endure it, fight back or find another job, it is a victim choice.

7.2 WHAT A MANAGING BOARD CAN DO

Because bully at workplace is sometime subjective, it doesnt mean it didnt occur. As for higher management, they can knowledge by monitoring sick leaves, and how many workers quitting the jobs from time to time.

The owner of company or head of department always want the best from worker, in order to achieve great success. Other way to maintain positive progress is avoid hiring bully as part of managing team. Give a set of situation and see the answer given by the prospect manager. For example, what will they do if subordinates always come late.

When choosing a member of managing, set the moral standard of how the management will lead to. For example, do not yell any worker in front of other; give an instructive comment and etc. Give training and guidance on how to manage the company. Teach them power is responsibility. Also remind them that subordinate is a human being, everyone is equal and important to the company.

Make a routine on reflection on how they behave with subordinates. Ask them to make a note, and had a review session twice a month. Then ask them to evaluate their ethical.Set a programmed to learn how to tackle others thru psychology, and use it for achieve company goal by motivate subordinate.

It is not easy when dealing with human being. Everyone is different and unique. But we human like when people show their concern and attention to us. Bosses who always asking why before making any judgment is the boss that we all wanted. 8.0 CONCLUSION

As a human being, we could not stand when someone being mean to us. Being yelled at, humiliated publicly. Become subject to angry on, even for a small reason, sometime for reason that is absurd. Eventually, a person will give up hope, and shut down. And the worst thing that

could happen is victims commit suicide.

All of us dont want this to happen to our family, kids and friends. The best way to prevent bullying is to set a standard of value in how we suppose to treats others, and how we want others to treat us. Human is the same, our color of blood is red, and we had same shape of heart. Every time we intend to burst anger towards others, think how we hope others to treat us if we are the one who making a mistake.

And this is a victim mail that we should reflect on.

"There is a huge difference in the pre-bullied me and the post-bullied me. At present I jump at the sight of my own shadow, am terrified of meeting people, am unable to make eye-contact with people, get extremely agitated if people raise their voices etc. At first glance someone might easily think, no wonder she was bullied, she got no self-confidence or anything! Yes, these things are not the "real" me. It is just the way my trauma manifests itself".

9.0

REFFERENCE

1. Workplace Bullying: What everyone needs to know http://www.lni.wa.gov/safety/research/files/bullying.pdf 2. Barbara Coloroso The Bully The Bullied the Bystander (2004) books.google.com.my/books?isbn=006001430X. 3. Definition of Bully. Dictionary .com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bully 4. Olewus Bullying Research. http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying_research.page 5. A L Khalib and H U Ngan Workplace Bully : Time To Understand Its Root. Malaysian Journal of Community Health2006. Volume 12. 6. Sara Branch, Sheryl Ramsay,Michelle barker (1998) Managers in the firing line: The causes of workplace bullying http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/10072/16521/1/43634.pdf 7. www.bullying,org Where you are not alone http://www.bullying.org/

Those who can, do. Those who can, bully www.bullyonline.org/workbully/amibeing.htm Union Safe. Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace unionsafe.labor.net.au/hazards/files/hazards/unionsafeBullying.doc Workplace Bullying - the devastating experience www.worktrauma.org/change/bullying.htm Dr Susans Guide : SURVIVING THE BULLY AT WORK http://www.worktrauma.org/survive_bully/survive_bully_index.htm Definition of Bully. Words origin.com .com. http://www.word-origins.com/definition/bully.html What is Bullying? Definition, statistics & Information on Bullying www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page Barbara Coloroso The Bully The Bullied the Bystander

http://schools.hcdsb.org/mich/Safe%20Schools/Barbara%20Coloroso%20The%20Bully,%20The%20Bullied%20and%20the%20Bystander.pdf
Stle Einarsen (1999)The nature and causes of bullying at work by University of Bergen, Norway. http://www.worktrauma.org/research/research13.htm Allport, G. (1954), The Nature of Prejudice, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA Bjrkqvist, K. (1992), Trakassering frekommer bland anstallda vid bo Akademia , ( Harassment occurs among employees at Abo Academy ), Meddelande frn bo Akademi, Vol. 9, pp. 14-17 Mattice, C.M., & Garman, K. (2010, June). Proactive Solutions for Workplace Bullying: Looking at the Benefits of Positive Psychology. Paper to be presented at the International Association for Workplace Bullying & Harassment, Cardiff, Wales

Create a Bully-Free Workplace Nathanael Fast 1:13 PM Thursday March 18, 2010

http://blogs.hbr.org/research/2010/03/create-a-bullyfree-workplace.html