Tolerating workplace bullying can be key to retaining a job

A good employer makes his staff realize they have ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better. However, as someone told me yesterday bullying is common in working places and throughout different stages of life. Although Contador Harrison has experienced racism and outright discrimination, he’s not had a single incident of bullying in his life. After having a chat with a bullying victim, I have realized how lucky I’ve been in life. Experts define workplace bullying as the repeated, health destroying mistreatment of an individual or individuals by a person or more persons. The experts also clarifies that If the act is one-off, then it might not be considered bullying and definition largely depends on the victim on the receiving end. The victim has suffered irreversible trauma after being subjected to verbal abuses to sexually harassment from her colleagues. In her experience, bullying is a challenge she’d had to face up to throughout her working life. Her first boss had problems with temper and used to scold her loudly with profanities over petty issues and would yell at her almost the whole day and at one point she realized the issue was already personalized. When I told her that what she was saying was new to me, the lady was dumbfounded. In her workplace, “polluted environment” is too much to take and she has contemplated quitting many times but lack of alternative job opportunities has held her back and now suffers in silence. Bullying has hurt her professionalism and career besides leaving a huge dent on her confidence and attitude.

At one point of our conversation she became emotional and regretted asking her bullying challenges but quickly picked up herself and told me that bullying has made her working life a nightmare. She does believe the bullying experience at workplace is purely office bully combined with a boss with pathetic inter-personal skills and the two just makes her life miserable and unbearable. If you have not experienced workplace bullying and boss’ tongue-lashings then count yourself lucky. The victim told me how she was sexually harassed by her boss when persistently sexual remarks about her body. Two years into her job, the gray haired man even asked her to drive him home but she refused and when she was invited to his place after work and turned a blind eye the man was like wild animal the following day throwing insults left and right. Our conversation was spiced by a bloke working for a multinational who shared how a female workmate was harassed and manipulated into to share a room with a male colleague who was her boss during a trip to South Africa but stood to her ground and opted to camp at the hotel reception until morning and not compromise her moral values and dignity. She immediately left the company soon after returning from rainbow nation. 

The bloke claimed that female employees in his workplace endure bullying because of ignorance and not knowing their rights. He also said that most employers do not have rules and regulations, lack working culture and rights for the employees. Me think that when a worker is discriminated constantly intimidated to perform duties outside his or her job specification the least one can do is to report the matter to police or relevant security agencies. Employees should open up when they see it happening or it happens to them although sometimes it’s hard to gather evidence to show that you are bullied. Studies have shown that bullies like to demonstrate their power in more open places. The bullying victim was singled out, isolated and humiliate with dirty language by a man she called her boss for several years and even tried to twist events as if it’s the victim’s fault. She was made to look lousy and incompetent even though the boss was treating her unfairly. The lady could just be one among many millions of men and women who are suffering from bullying in workplaces and other public places.