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MY BOSS IS A BULLY
I work at a public school and my job would be fine if it weren’t for my supervisor. My stress comes from her constantly belittling me and I am afraid to tell anyone (who matters) because I’m concerned about my job security (I’m not unionized or anything like that). What can you do about this kind of stress?
Dear Asker,
I’m really sorry that you’re in this situation because, indeed, being bullied at work can be incredibly stressful. In fact, Canadian researchers recently reviewed more than 100 studies that compared the impact of bullying and sexual harassment, and found that workers in your shoes reported more job stress and less job commitment than employees who were sexually harassed. It’s not a competition, but one explanation for these findings is that the bullied feel helpless because workplace aggression is not illegal, not as actively or publicly addressed by employers and politicians, and not widely covered by the media. This lack of attention, support and legislation must make the targets of bullying feel isolated, embarrassed, vulnerable and less likely to speak out. FYI: The hurling of continuous insults is classic bully behavior along with regular intimidation, rudeness, criticism, exclusion from activities like meetings, spreading rumors, verbal abuse, and the list goes on.
Stress reduction for you and others in these situations can come from information and action. This includes knowing that one in three workers experiences bullying at some point according to the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention, and taking comfortable steps that give you more control and peace of mind. You can start by looking at this workplace bullying Wikipedia page that provides great detail on this issue including definitions of bullying, lists of bully strategies, causes of this behavior and links to groups working on the issue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_bullying
I don’t know the particulars of your school, but I’m guessing that your lack of union membership does not mean that you are without job protection and people to talk with confidentially such as human resources staff. Since stress leads to more sick days and lower productivity, it makes sense for workplaces to act on the hits that bullies dish out to their organizations’ benchmarks and bottom lines.
Many bullies first rear their ugly heads in school hallways and playgrounds, so it’s ironic that your adult bully is also at school--your situation is a vivid reminder that bullying lives on long after graduation. Your confession takes courage and I hope that simply telling us about it helps you to feel that you can do something to change this stressor for the better.
Les
4/08
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