Bullying in the Workplace, Is It Getting Worse?

An HR manager just asked permission to use my article at a meeting, so thought I'd put it here.

I despise "bullying" and "mobbing" and "gossip," and love to help corporations get rid of it, and individuals to recover from it.

BTW, I think we (the US) has a reputation here. On my tour in Europe, one of the guides showed us the chairs out in front of a cafe ready for the people-watchers, and people-talkers. She said, "In France it's okay to talk about someone you don't know, but not someone you DO know." Not a bad idea.

Office Gossip: An HR Challenge

By Susan Dunn Expert Author Article Date: 2008-11-12

"Lies, rumors, and office gossip have always been an entrenched part of the workscape," says Samuel Greengard, in his article, "Gossip Poisons
Business: HR Can Stop It," and if you've worked in an office, you know that's true. For some, it's just static, but it can get out of control, be harmful to the target, and cause risk for management.

Gossip is a human propensity. Part of being social and being human, is to take an intense interest in what other's are doing. Some gossip is relatively benign; other forms are malicious and can run right into slander and liable.

Unchecked, it's not going to go away and can be disruptive to productivity and morale.

THE NATURE OF GOSSIP

"Not every rumor that comes out of the office gossip mill has the power to be ... damaging," says Ingrid Murro Botero, president of Murro Consulting. "However, even seemingly casual remarks between coworkers can disrupt an otherwise peaceful office."

Office gossip generally centers around which employees management is dating, and who's about to be get fired, transferred, promoted or demoted. Particularly malicious gossip is used for personal or political gain within the organization. Any form can open management up to significant liability because employees who perceive themselves in a hostile environment can go on to assume they're being discriminated against.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

What can management do to curtail this destructive mobbing behavior?

First of all lets look at what makes it probable. It's most likely to occur when employees are not informed, and when they have too much time on their hands. When something's going on and management doesn't supply information, people fill in the void with speculations and assumptions.

It's also likely to occur is when workers have too much time on their hands. When, as a kid, I started making trouble for myself and my sisters because I had nothing to do, my grandmother would give me something constructive to do (a chore, a book to read), saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."

Management must also make it clear that malicious personal gossip is not acceptable. "It is essential for companies to set appropriate boundaries and a tone of mutual respect," says Jane Weizmann, senior consultant at Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

This can be accomplished through Aspiration Statements - not just saying what's not acceptable, but by coming out and saying what is expected:
dignity and respect. No exceptions.

Management can also work to build a culture that's supportive rather than overtly competitive. Putting proactive emotional intelligence and ANTI-MOBBING PROGRAMS in place show positive intent. To see an excellent pro-respect statement by the State of Oregon, Dept. of Environment Quality ANTI-MOBBING policy NO. 50.110, go
here: www.mobbing-usa.com/resources1.html
.

Coaching and/or counseling should be available for both victim and instigator.

Rumors must be dealt with immediately. Meet with instigator[s] and victim together, or call the instigator in to confront them. Confront chronic offenders. If you don't know who they are, you're in denial, because everyone else in the company knows who they are.

One thing to do in your awareness/education program is to ask people to check through their emails and see if they think they've been gossiping.
Unlike the spoken word, email is documentable.

It's important to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Written policies and procedures turn to dust and smoke the first time management fails to confront the problem in actuality. It's normal to test the limits, and if action isn't taken when stated policy is transgressed, credibility for that policy goes out the door, and so does credibility about every other policy.

About the Author:
©Susan Dunn, MA, www.susandunn.cc . Business and personal coaching, on-site, long-distance.

Something surprising about the workplace

I remember writing an article about this a couple of years ago, and receiving responses from a lot of people questioning this concept.

This is one reason why emotional intelligence is so important to study and learn about.

In their Book, First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Buckingham and Coffman list twelve important questions to ask employees - or to ask yourself, an the employee - and one of them is: DO YOU HAVE A BEST FRIEND AT WORK?

So many people wrote me to question this, and were confused about it, like it wasn't a Good Thing - or perhaps even possible....??

When I think back on my own earlier work experiences as an employee, the jobs that do stand out as the most pleasurable, and also the most productive (and I would postulate that the two go together!) were when I did have a best friend at work.

I think it has to do with the office or corporate culture. Enjoying the people you work with is conducive to optimal performance. This is particularly important in today's Information Culture.

Tell me what you think about this! sdunn@susandunn.cc.

And have you taken Buckingham's StrengthsFinder assessment. I think it's one of the best ones out there. Email me for information, and let me interpret the results for you. It's very helpful in honing in on what you are naturally best at.

The Boss' Mood Affects Productivity

New Vision Online : How a boss’ mood affects productivity

It doesn't take an "expert" to tell us that some bosses are wonderful to work for and therefore get the best out of us, and also have high retention rates of excellent employees ... while others are not. The emotional intelligence of the boss is critical. If you'd like to increase yours, take THE EQ COURSE . Sign up everyone in the office -- it really works!

I was at a workplace the other day that had had nearly 100% turnover in the past 18 months. One of the workers there told me, "How can you work in a place that makes you feel this way about yourself? I'm good at what I do. One week at this place and I felt like a loser. That's never happened before."

If vested self-interest is the only thing that works, this boss puts himself in the position of having to interview, hire, and then train, continually. He is constantly having to work with someone new, which adds to his frustration. Who needs that? It is annoying, costly, and highly ineffective. It is hard to get good systems in place when the faces keep changing.

From the article (and BTW, it's from Uganda - if you think emotional intelligence isn't sweeping the world and giving us a common language for dealing with problems):

A BOSS’ mood and behaviour drive the moods and behaviour of everyone else. The environment an inspirational boss creates is different from the one a cranky and insensitive one would. High levels of emotional intelligence promote information-sharing, trust, healthy risk-taking and learning flourish. Low levels create fear and anxiety.

According to experts, the most effective leaders display moods and behaviour that match the situation at hand, with a healthy dose of optimism. They respect how other people feel. This behaviour, which in management parlance is called resonance, has four components of emotional intelligence in action.

Email me at sdunn@susandunn.cc for personal coaching, business programs, Internet courses and ebooks to improve the quality of your life, success and happiness. Visit http://www.susandunn.cc/ for ideas! Emotional Intelligence really works.