Bullying in the workplace

“Bullying in the workplace”

When the word bullying comes to mind, I think of kids. Elementary kids at recess, middle school kids at lunch, high school cliques, but the one thing that had never crossed my mind was an adult being bullied, especially at work. How could you be bullied at work? How could you be bullied as an adult? Is bullying in the workplace that big of an issue or is this just merely a term the less determined worker uses as an excuse for a poor job performance? In my thinking about this subject, I did some research in an attempt to have a better understanding of what exactly bullying in the workplace meant to the average person. I came across an article printed by Time Magazine entitled “When Good Things Happen To Bad
People: Disturbing News About Workplace Bullies”. This article basically states that bullies do well in their job because they are socially skilled and intimidate their coworkers to get what they want in their workplace. Time magazine stated, “The results of workplace intimidation, harassment, and other forms of bullying are often enough jobs well done, which lead not to rebuke but rather to strong reviews, pay raises and even promotions. Bullies often leverage the fear and intimidation of their behavior to achieve personal goals and improve their job performance.” To put it bluntly, I laughed while reading this article. First of all, the expectations of being hired is to do your job, not make friends and take the back seat so everyone can feel equal and have a turn. This isn’t middle school, it’s the real world and it is within our society that we have been taught to conduct ourselves in a determined and aggressive manner not only in our work environment but in life as a whole. So how can we as people stand here and call it bullying? I call it doing your job. In this article the author describes these so called bullies as “keen analyzers and manipulators of social dynamics and reputations.” That they are “highly political animals, with finely tuned antennae that allow them to identify and abuse their victims without anyone else noticing.” Who is to make judgment that these people are intentionally intimidating their co- workers? I feel as though if you are working in a kind of job that is highly competitive and cut throat, you should have the emotional and mental stability to be there. There are two types of people in this world, the type that sit back and wait for things to happen and the type who makes sure it happen: the quiet and passive vs. the loud and assertive. So when you put those two different types of people in a work environment and the assertive person gets a position, the other person has a right to call him or her a bully because they were intimidated I don’t believe in the term bullying when it comes to a work environment. If someone intimidates another person enough to supposedly fear going up against them for a position, then my opinion is they shouldn’t be in that position. The author stated in this article that these workplace bullies or “workplace thugs” use their skills for “fun and profit”. I don’t know about you, but if I know how to talk to people, work a crowd, sell my ideas and get things done and have the opportunity to higher my pay with an advancement in doing so, then that is what I will do. Your workplace is the foundation to how you live and want to live your life. It makes you the money necessary to live in this world and your determination in your workplace determines how much money you make which then determines how well you live. Wanting the best for yourself and your family isn’t being a bully, it’s being a go getter. On the other hand, there are a few points that were not mentioned in this article that I am against in the workplace, which are discrimination and harassment. People with physical and mental disabilities who are not capable of doing the work that some of us are fortunate enough to perform should not be made fun of or have their faults thrown in their face while being compared to the others around them. Maybe this would fall under bullying for some people, but in my eyes I view it as discrimination and in extreme cases harassment. All work environments are different but I believe that the most important part of a hiring managers job is to fill the positions not only with a fitting resume, but personality to go with it. When it comes to the adult population, I do not believe in bullying. I believe that bullying is a term used for children and adolescents whose mind is not fully developed enough to process the actions or words of other people resulting in potential emotional trauma. As adults, the majority of us are emotionally developed enough to know what is going on, process it and handle it in an appropriate manner. I have been in a working environment for over ten years now. In my experience I have been the top dog in some of my positions and the black sheep in others, but I will never say I was bullied within my positions. When I have advanced in positions in the past it was because I deserved it and when I did not advance in past positions, I deserved that as well. I have had people watch my every move waiting for me to mess up, or have had past co-workers purposely not include me in emails regarding dates and times of meetings to make me look bad as if I did not show up on purpose, and when these things happened I was upset but I also learned that I should never rely on someone else for anything and to be more assertive and self-sufficient the next time around. The truth is, especially in a job where there is money making potential, it is every man for himself, it is a competition and some people can handle it and others cannot.