You may be in a situation of "Workplace Bullying" or even worse. You want to keep your job. Your boss is a ... . It may even hinge on the borders of sexual exploitation. The victim may be yourself or perhaps another coworker, friend or relative. You or they want to keep your job. After all it's a livelihood, a source of substance for the employee and perhaps their family. And yet you know you may win the battle and lose the war. What can you do? What can be done?
First of all despite the cost to employers and the devastating consequences to employees such workplace bullying and intimidation are still more than prevalent in the workplace. You may well have heard the description "They may be this, and they may be that but I will tell you one thing. Management sticks together like glue to protect themselves as well as their god given perks and privileges." You may well be on the low end of the totem pole. Companies and management have financial and legal resources that can well outlast you. Companies often have lawyers that "can beat you on a traffic ticket".
Bullying at work can be said to the repeated health or career endangering mistreatment of one or more employees. The mistreatment of a form of psychological violence and is often a mix of verbal and strategic insults preventing the so called "victim" or "target" from performing work well. As you may well have guessed by now most bullies are in management positions. It is as if the exact same person who beat you up in the sandbox when you were four years old is now your boss, manager or supervisor.
The attitude may well of the "Golden Rule". In this case the management interpretation of this basic rule of life and employment is "The rules are golden and they are my rules."
What can be done in such a situation? First name the abusive behavior for what it is - simple bullying. Next "step out on the balcony" so to speak. Take a breather. Have your physical and mental health checked by your doctor and health care providers.
If you are not getting regular exercise or other forms of stress relief see to that this situation gets improved.
Nothing takes the place of pre call preparation so to speak. Find out your state, federal employment rules on such bullying behavior. Nothing clears a mind like true facts. You may or may not want to visit your human resources department. You never know how word travels or the "Radio Moscow "grapevine travels. Still there are other sources. The internet may afford quiet research. Perhaps old documents from when you were hired or were promoted. Other present or past co workers. Competitors? Industry or accepted standards of the industry that you are in and your employer may be a signatory of? Often the best source of information can be a competitor in the fields to speak. . Just make sure your notes are on the company work computer. After all it is their computer property which allows the employer full legal access to their computer and your incriminating notes.
You may have company employee documents that may be of great help to you in your cause. Employer job descriptions and job postings and ads. Your company evaluations may be of great help to document your case. Company documents serve your cause - they are beyond dispute. It like that old joke "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"
Facts can never be disputed. Opinions can. Take time to document all events - regularly, promptly, accurately and with full thoroughness. Document specific, specific times and dates. Solicit witness statements. Note insults, putdowns, intimidation screaming and other unwarranted abusive behavior. Remember everyone has a bad day from time to time. What counts is the consistency of the actions - not one shot deals.
When this is all done present your business case / evidence to the highest ranking official at your workplace. It is neither a good idea to confront the bully directly nor their immediate supervisor. The supervisor of the bully can be held responsible as well and he may often see the bully as merely "getting the job done". Indeed this behavior may seem to reward the supervisor with perceived extra power and salary bonuses plus other perks.
Sort of like the management style of pharaoh's slave drivers when they were building the pyramids.
You can well seek third party mediation or legal advice. Perhaps your job union can serve as an intermediary.
In the end if you find that you are getting nowhere it is best to search out another job while your reputation is unsullied and you receive a good job reference. If nothing else it is a quick way for management to continue to sweep the problem under the rug.
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