Nice guys rarely come out on top in the boss stakes. Bullying tyrants often do though.
A
recent study
presented at a conference on management, found that two thirds of the
240 people interviewed claimed that the office bully in their lives was
never censured. On the contrary, he or she was often promoted.
Bully bosses have
been known to make their employees sick - literally. Depression,
anxiety attacks and other stress related conditions are fairly common
in offices where a tyrant reigns supreme. Those who appointed him or
her often tolerate this state-of-affairs. They view the bully as
assertive and goal oriented. Employees who complain tend to be viewed
as 'the problem'
Psychologists concur that a lot of bully boss
behavior is acting out - a display of power because they can. A typical
example of this type of behavior is the strategy of asking an employee
to present a plan at a meeting, and then proceeding to rip the
employee's ideas to shreds in front of everyone.
Typical
characteristics of the bully boss are hyper control tactics, a tendency
to micromanage and routine contempt displayed toward employees in the
form of snide remarks, sarcasm and outright put downs. Some
psychologists also link this behavior to sadistic inclinations. Some
men get off on intimidation and control tactics in their personal
relationships. The same inclinations are likely to play themselves out
in the office. Certainly there are plenty of stories that suggest that
abuse of power can lead to sexual exploitation.
So how to fight back against bullying in the office?
It's
important not to enable a bully boss by appearing to be cowered. Direct
confrontation can be very effective as long as you remain in control of
your emotions. Come across as firm and assertive, along the lines of -
"I'm sorry but I will not tolerate this kind of behavior". It may sound
simple, but actually the direct in-your-face approach is often the most
effective. Any confrontation of this sort should be private. If there
are other staffers witnessing the confrontation the bully is unlikely
to back down.
Don't get too involved in discussing theories
about why the behavior is happening or start speculating about motives.
Keep it simple. In other words focus on an example of behavior you
regard as unacceptable and drive the point home.You might also give an
example of how the behavior has impacted negatively upon the
productivity of other employees.
Try to introduce some positives
into your observations. Point out traits of the boss that have impacted
positively on office morale. Also try to get a few other staffers
on-side, so that it's apparent you have allies and aren't putting
yourself out on a limb.
If the company has the option, you can
always take your complaint to human resources. There is also the option
of going over the head of the bully boss and speaking directly to his
or her superior, but this should be a last resort. You can't be certain
what type of relationship exists between people in upper management.
Reporting 'up' might backfire and end up making you the target.
Most
importantly stay cool and never appear intimidated. Bullies feed off
fear and when they realize they can't get to you on that level, they
are less likely to persist.
Aidan Maconachy is a freelance writer and artist based in Ontario. You can visit his blog at http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/
