Dealing with workplace bullying

Workplace is indeed a home away from home for employees because they spend more waking hours there than anywhere else to make a living. Some workaholics even consider their office as a place of worship.

But sadly, the Indian workplace scenario is increasingly presenting a depressing picture across all fields.

Coldblooded managements are showing utter disrespect to human capital, sadist bosses are sucking the blood of employees, psychopathic managers are troubling the workforce and unprofessional careerists are out there to backstab colleagues.

Though we lack annual survey-based evidences to draw a definite conclusion on the issue of toxic workplace environment, its impact on the mental health of the targets (victims) and the productivity of the institutions they work for, it is abundantly clear that all is not well at our workplaces.

Workplace bullying, a notch above harassment, is on the rise and hapless employees are suffering in silence due to this malady in public, private and corporate sectors, going by private discussions, social media conversations and routine media reports.

We don't know whether the online job environment has reduced the problem of workplace bullying but employees are rueing over e-surveillance tactics used by managements and immediate bosses.

Healthy workplace-a myth?

According to the Bar Association of India, bullying means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more employees.

It is further defined as unwanted and repeated written, verbal, or physical behaviour, including any threatening, insulting, or dehumanising gesture that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment; cause discomfort or humiliation; or unreasonably interfere with the individual's performance or participation; and may involve but is not limited to: teasing, social exclusion, threat, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, theft, sexual, religious, or racial harassment, public humiliation, or destruction of property.

It straightaway negates the WHO's concept of 'healthy workplace' in which workers and managers are supposed to collaborate to use a continual improvement process to protect and promote the health, safety and well-being of all workers and the sustainability of the workplace.

According to a model developed by WHO through systematic literature and expert review, four key areas can be mobilised or influenced in healthy workplace initiatives: The physical work environment; the psychosocial work environment; personal health resources; and enterprise involvement in the community.

In the profit-driven market-based economy, CEOs, owners, and managers accord least priority to employees' mental health and psychological well-being. The mega downsizing exercise taken up by companies following the Covid-19 crisis had a bearing on the mental health of vulnerable employees and their families. The gigantic grief-stricken development, unfortunately, is going unnoticed and underreported.

A study, conducted by researchers Richa Gupta, Arti Bakhshi, and Ståle Einarsen five years ago, with a randomly selected sample of 1,053 employees working in various public and private organisations such as education, health, social service, and banking and insurance sector, revealed that as much as 46% of the employees were found to be exposed to bullying at workplaces in India either occasionally or frequently.

While 27% respondents reported being occasionally bullied at work, 19% revealed that they were severely bullied. In Indian context, workplace bullying includes, the targets being constantly picked on, insulted and humiliated in public based on caste, colour and region, shouted at for silly reasons, ignored deliberately, blamed for others' faults and, subjected to highly unreasonable deadlines and unbearable workload.

In private conversations, the victims elaborate as to how the immediate bosses or institutional heads regularly threaten with losing of job while denying promotion chances and skill-enhancing training programmes. In many cases, ruthless colleagues enjoy the tamasha while some co-workers join hands with the bosses with ulterior motives to compound the grief of the targets.

The workplace bullying takes away mental peace of the victim, who in turn shows his or her frustration on colleagues, friends and family members. It is proved that domestic violence and child abuse often find roots in toxic workplace environment of individuals. Due to lack of institutional mechanisms and weakening of trade union culture, victims of workplace bullying are left in lurch.

A case in point

I closely watched a once reputed training and educational institute that is going to dogs due to the unprofessional management practices in which 'human resources' carry zero value. An inept academic managed to rise to become the institutional head and he had the pleasure in showing the door to highly qualified faculty on some faulty pretexts. Inappropriate comments, offensive jokes, personal humiliation, critical remarks, ostracising, lies and intimidation were used to create an intimidating and offensive work environment for the victims.

At the peak of the pandemic, senior employees, once pillars of the organisation, were asked to resign. Unlike, Dr Annette Plaut, a senior academic of UK's University of Exeter who challenged her employer in the court of law, many heartbroken staff left the organisation.

You may be aware that Dr.Annette had been allegedly sacked from the faculty position she held for 29 long years of her 'loud voice' and she was awarded more than £100,000 after winning a claim for unfair dismissal. The UK academic accused the university of being "institutionally unconsciously biased" and said she was taking medication for stress brought on by her employer's treatment of her. Indian employees somehow don't wish to take on the establishments for the fear of being branded as 'rebels' or 'nuisance' or 'hard nuts' by the prospective employers.

Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), a social purpose corporation launched in the USA in 1997 that supports bullied individuals, educates the public and professionals, conducts national scientific surveys and research, provides training for unions and systemic solutions for organisations and employers, and advocates for legislation, widely deals with the perpetrators of bullying.

In a book, titled, The Bully at Work, the founders of WBI, Dr. Ruth Namie, a clinical psychology expert, and Dr. Gary Namie, a social psychologist, mentioned that there are four types of bullies at workplace.

1) Screaming mimi: In a strategic move to control the emotional climate of the workplace, this type of bullies creates fear psychosis in targets while infusing the same in the witnesses. They use public settings to implement their agenda and no employee is dared to confront these barking dogs.

2) Constant critic: Nit-picking is the sole objective of this category of bullies. According to the authors, this type prefers to threaten and intimidate employees in the absence of a witness. Alas, they target the most competent, veteran, go-to worker and claim that that target is incompetent. See the mental condition of a senior employee, a valuable asset being dubbed as 'useless.' This type of psychos' favourite tactic is to manufacture a false performance appraisal, says WBI.

3)Two-headed snake: This category of bullies blows hot and cold much to the shock and dismay of the targets. They know inside out of you and stab you in the back before you realise the damage. The authors mentioned that, this kind of rogues destroy your reputation with false rumours about you.

4)Gatekeeper: The modus operandi of this category is amazingly annoying. They withhold resources you need to succeed and fail you in meeting deadlines by resorting to dirty tricks. According to the WBI, you are blocked from using computers and search services. You are denied a budget, required training and facilities, let alone recognition for your fabulous work. Furthermore, your colleagues are ordered to not help you with anything. This type uses leaves as a weapon to push you to a corner.

With the advent of the ICT revolution, cyberbullying, the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature, is also increasing at workplaces. Expecting a decent behaviour from bosses and high-handed colleagues in the prevailing dog-eat-dog society is a tall order. Before the governments and institutions come up with robust mechanisms and practical laws to eliminate the menace of workplace bullying, co-employees should lend a hand and shoulder to the victims. Live and let live.

(The author, a PhD in Communication and Journalism, is a senior journalist, journalism educator and communication consultant)

(The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of The Hans India)