Perpetrator or Victim. Which are You?

You have heard me mention the insidious nature of bullying and harassment and discrimination. 

Anne is a salesperson and 2 – 3 times per week she spends a few hours in the office catching up on admin and making calls to clients. 

In the office Anne sits next Jan and whilst they generally get on well Jan relentlessly mutters critically about Anne every time Anne speaks on the phone.  Although it bothers Anne, she doesn’t internalise it because she knows it is more about Jan than her.  Their co-workers and the employer see what goes on, but everyone thinks, that’s just Jan and Anne doesn’t seem bothered.  This goes on month after month until one day Anne’s has had enough and verbally lashes out at Jan. 

95% of us have been a perpetrator or victim of bullying and discrimination in the workplace and these behaviours will gnaw away at the fabric of any business. 

So, what do these terms mean? 
Bullying and harassment – aggressive pressure or intimidation, the act of seeking to harm, intimidate or coerce someone who is usually viewed as vulnerable. 
Discrimination - the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability.   

Bullying and harassment, and discrimination are all learned behaviours which means they can all be unlearned creating wonderful opportunities for growth and development in a business.  But if these practices go unchecked the negative impact on your business will be massive so anyone practicing them should be constructively called out and guided to reform. When addressing these issues, it is important to understand that they are typically about the perpetrator not the victim. 

There are many reasons people act out in this way and some of the most common are: 
a) it is a learned behaviour, and the person genuinely does not know any better
b) it is a mindset of ‘get them before they get you’ c) it is a response to feelings of insecurity d) it is a reaction to struggling or hurting. 

Bullying is often an incessant and relentless form of intimidation and the fallout can be devasting and sometimes disastrous. 

Discrimination can often be identified as a behaviour described by words ending in ‘ism’ with some common offences being racism, ageism, ableism, sexism, and favouritism.  Again, this is a learned behaviour, and it is often born of ignorance e.g., a woman wearing a burqa is hiding something and shouldn’t be trusted, a senior person has no value in the workplace, it’s a man’s job.

These are all unacceptable social and workplace practices, and they cannot go unaddressed if a business is to flourish.   If you are unsure if these are happening in your business, we can roll out an inexpensive Digital Health Check with your employees giving you a bird’s eye view of your operational interactions. 

These are not practices you want to bury your head in the sand about.  If you know any of these are taking place in your business do not hesitate to contact us to discuss with you the best course of action based on your circumstances.