Personal Attributes interprets the term bullying as “Constant hurtful behaviour towards another or others and not someone having a bad moment on the day.”

Let’s get personal...

My article posted on the 4th April 2016 highlighted some facts about the impact bullying has on victims. It is often forgotten that work colleagues witness this hurtful behaviour. The impact of what they see and hear has a direct affect on their emotional well being. The constant pressure the witness feels to make sure they are not the next victim in line for the onslaught is overwhelming, stressful and sad. Their own purpose and focus is misplaced and fear creeps in. They feel embarrassment and shame for not having the courage to respectfully and discretely challenge the perpetrator and stand up for their work colleague. Their productivity drops and the state of feeling miserable overrides any positivity. The cycle of absenteeism and presenteeism manifests, and the search for a better organisation to work for begins. It is without question that the impact of bullying in the workplace affects victims and witnesses, but what about the organisation they work for?

Does a bully in the workplace have the potential to destroy their organisation?

If employees do not have the skills and ability to address and defuse bullying, or if the bully is the leader of the organisation, word quickly spreads and the reputation of that organisation comes under scrutiny. It is commonly known that word of mouth is the best form of advertising; it can also be the worst. The effects on an organisation who has a poor reputation for not dealing with bullying issues impacts on their culture, reduces employability and sustainability of employees, increases employee absences, loss of productivity and, for some organisations, compensation payouts.

There are always opportunities for the appropriate people within organisations to act quickly when dealing with bullying. Like the victims and witnesses, they need to have courage to let go of their fear and take action. Sometimes engaging external resources may be necessary. The emotional and non judgmental attachment external support gives to the organisation and their employees allows for an unbiased review to be conducted. Solution focused strategies and education can then be implemented to address and stop the bullying, making the organisation proactive in the duty of care for their employees .

It is clear that bullying in the workplace impacts negatively on victims, witnesses and organisations. I would like you to spare a thought for the family and friends of victims of workplace bullying. The impact of this destructive behaviour also affects them as they try to make sense of what is or has been happening to someone they know. They watch, most of the time helplessly, as a loved one becomes unravelled. Their own emotional tug of war of what they should be doing to assist, or how to support the person being bullied, is confusing and family and friends are often left feeling bewildered and inadequate. The impact of bullying in the workplace continues to infiltrate and harm even those who are not directly involved.

Workplace bullying has vast consequences. The challenge is now up to each and everyone of us to make a difference in our workplace by being mindful of how we treat each other, the words we choose to speak, the tone in which we speak and the body language that represents our conversation. People's Perceptions Matter!

Next month's article, “Resilience Required", will provide some of Personal Attribute tips and strategies on how to build your own resilience to workplace bullying.