Target the Bullies at Work with Action

Bullying in the workplace happens more often than many realize or perhaps would like to admit. The most common advice will be to document all the actions around the situation. While that may make sense in terms of providing recourse or ‘evidence’ it is neither a solution, nor the fallback most people hope it will be.

The Reasons Why Documenting Bullying Fails

Words without Action

Documenting concerns in whatever form may create a record of the incident. It gives a view into the activities taking place. However on its own, rarely provides any satisfaction. There needs to be a protocol or action plan in place to deal with the reports. There needs to be programs in place for feedback so that those in leadership, and those writing the reports can see a chain of actions, else it is wasted time. Even worse, it comes across as a means of appeasement to make the victims feel they have taken action when in fact, nothing will ever happen.

Culture of Silence

The act of giving fears, emotions, and incidents form through reporting takes bravery. The act of telling the truth about an incident that should not have happened takes bravery. Particularly in environments where the silence of others has been observed and where misuse of power takes place with people visibly turning a blind eye. The notion of stepping outside of that can be terrifying. When there's a culture, modelled by leaders and peers silently says 'yes' we see that happening but we don’t talk about it, everything around you screams that you should keep it to yourself.

Lack of Awareness

Reporting bullying unfortunately creates two sides of a challenging coin. On the one hand people fear speaking up so they hold to their silence, often not even telling coworkers what is happening. Or people see something happening with a coworker and they fear becoming a target themselves, so they stay quiet. The flip side is that leadership cannot take action unless they understand the scope of the issue. The more people speak, report and share, the greater awareness there will be and the greater the chance of action and change.

Lack of Accountability

Within any organization, programs need definition. Whether it is a benefits plan, time off, or reporting workplace bullying, policies and programs must be clearly laid out and defined. That way everyone understands the meaning, the actions, and the repercussions. In an organization that has not addressed workplace bullying, has not considered the issues and how they will handle them, these undefined consequences lead to inaction. They lead to friends at work taking it easy on friends, and colleagues going easier on leaders they may have known for a long time. In short those with friends in high places see no repercussion. Clear consequences and defined actions must be in place to ensure accountability.

Emotional Toll

Speaking up for oneself is not natural for most people. It takes bravery to speak, and it takes bravery to give your truth form. Sometimes, in order for people to feel enough confidence to act they need support. They may need encouragement, someone they can seek direction and advice from. Unfortunately, in many organizations, formal HR departments may be part of the problem, or at least part of that upper echelon of leadership that is hiding the bad behavior.

To effectively combat workplace bullying, organizations need a comprehensive anti-bullying policy. They must find ways to encourage a culture of openness and support that includes training on recognizing and addressing bullying. They must ensure that proper channels are in place for employees to report incidents safely and know that those reports will have a series of actions. Taking proactive measures to prevent bullying is equally important as documenting and addressing existing cases.

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