Viewing entries tagged with 'bully'
Bullying & harassment : challenging the status quo
The recent CERA case has raised the issue of appropriate behaviour in the workplace. I’m not going to comment on that issue; I don’t have the details and haven’t seen the report. However, the reporting around it highlighted the differences in interpretation of the same behaviour. What one would find offensive another staffer saw as ‘a bit of fun’. This flags up the question of the difference between intent and third party perception; It is not about the intent of the person making the jokes or comments, it’s about how it is received and perceived by others that matters. This difference in interpretation sometimes makes it difficult for people to understand the line between appropriate and inappropriate conduct. Everybody is different and what one person might brush off as harmless fun may have a detrimental effect on another person.
Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying
The recent release by Worksafe NZ of the workplace bullying guidelines ‘Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying' resulted in a flurry of calls and enquiries asking me “what do these mean for us as an employer?”.
Workplace bullying - Why me?
“Why me?” I’m often asked when I’m coaching someone around how to handle someone they think is bullying them. I come across people who are often competent performers, who have been worn down, are tearful, anxious and unable to cope with seemingly simple tasks.
Changing Course, Avoiding Collision
Often conflict occurs because individuals are wedded to their path, their way of doing things, their belief that they are right, that the other person is wrong and that the other person needs to change. You can’t change people, only they can do that themselves (with the aid of a nudge, feedback, coaching, self-awareness and personal will). You can however change how you respond to them. That’s different.
How to .... spot bullying at work
Identifying bullying is a difficult skill. The problem with bullying is that it isn’t always easily spotted. It can either be a set of visible behaviours that the perpetrator doesn’t understand constitutes bullying or it can be a deliberately deployed set of toxic behaviours displayed by a person who uses their personal and professional power to crush the power of others.
Workplace Bullying - what is Is.... and Isn't
For anyone who has been on the end of bullying it is a toxic and insidious experience. It can take over your life and leave you unable to cope with the most simple of tasks. However, bullying is a very real workplace experience for many employees. Research undertaken for the Department of Labour in 2009[1] revealed that the majority of employees will, at some time during their careers, be exposed to workplace bullying directly, or indirectly as observers.
How to Address Poor Performance
... and avoid a bullying allegation
Poor staff performance is one of employers’ most common complaints. Managers faced with difficult conversations about work standards and potentially litigious staff often avoid dealing with it or don’t handle it very well. But ignoring the issue can demotivate other staff, so tackle poor performance firmly and with early intervention.