“You don’t need to be afraid of those boys, little girl!”, the kind gentleman said to me as he reached to squeeze my shoulder. But I was afraid. In fact, I was absolutely terrified. When I was only 6, “Jimmy” was my nemesis. My halcyon days in glorious James Bay were rudely interrupted by this fiendish boy who took a delight in striking terror in my heart. He lived in the “slums” beyond Beckley Street, the dark forbidden land of punks, thugs and every demonic creature that slithered around in back alleyways under a foul mist. Jimmy and his gang of miscreants ruled the land like some kind of infantile Mob. For five sickening years of my life, Jimmy threatened to beat me up. He never actually touched me but his words stung just as much as any dirty small fist. When he and his grubby posse came slouching down Government Street that day, their evil steps casting shadows, I ran to the other side of the road where a merciful old man took me under his wing.
Those hard days in an otherwise happy childhood scarred me forever. I was traumatized needlessly at an age when life should have been all cherries and cake. Jimmy the bully still haunts the innocent corners of my mind. Unfortunately, bullies come in all ages and genders and at all stages of life. Being an adult is no protection. Bullying in the workplace is a mushrooming problem in modern society. Our increasingly lean mean downsized workforce – feeding frustration and discontent – is very fertile ground for people who use force to get what they want. Many workplaces have no unions or any policies or regulations to protect workers against mental violence, making it very easy for bullies to poison the environment. Bullies can turn a job into a nightmare and can turn an otherwise great work environment into a toxic living hell. It is very important to note that bullying happens at all steps of the hierarchy and is not the exclusive domain of bosses. Workers are also bullied by co-workers and even subordinates.
Workplace bullying is slowly getting recognized as valid grounds for complaints and grievances. Legal precedents are being set: “The Kavanagh Decision in 2003 (The Newfoundland Association of Public and Private Employees versus Newfoundland) brought this issue to the attention of Canadians in a big way. The Province of Newfoundland was ordered to pay $875,000 in damages to a government worker who had been terminated after a campaign of harassment by his co-workers. Since that ruling, numerous Canadian organizations have held anti-bullying presentations and seminars to get the message across that workplace bullying can be devastating and is unacceptable.” (Source: http://www.airdriecounsellingcentre.com. This article was originally published in the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Newsletter.) Fortunately, many provinces are now enacting zero-tolerance legislation and policies which prohibit workplace bullying.
Mental violence is just as damaging as any physical assault. Words can hurt just as much as a fist. Mental abuse seriously traumatizes victims and leaves them wounded for life. The same article in the COHS Newsletter has wise words for everyone: “Preventing workplace bullying before it begins is key. Through awareness and education, prevention is a possibility. With knowledge, chances increase that the bully becomes aware of what his or her actions are doing, the victims know where they can go for help, and bystanders learn that it is not acceptable to turn a blind eye. Bringing this issue to the forefront of people’s minds will go a long way toward dealing with the problem.
A report by the International Labour Organization reported that physical and emotional violence are becoming some of the biggest issues in the workplace in the 21st century.” “I believe bullying is the single most important social issue of today.” Tim Field is a workplace bullying victim. He launched the website, Bully Online, at www.bullyonline.org and penned Bully in Sight. Here are some sobering statistics from Karen Becker from the University of Calgary, www.minkhollow.ca/bullying, and “STOP Bullying! Canada!”, stopbullyingcanada.wordpress.com/statistic/ : 21% of all workers have been targeted by bullies; workplace bullying has been said to be the cause of more lost productivity in the workplace than any other cause; bullying is three times more prevalent than sexual harassment; as many as 10% of suicides may be related to workplace traumatization.
When workplace bullying is taken seriously in the workplace with zero-tolerance policies, everybody wins. These progressive policies build healthy people and work environments – and healthy communities. When victims have recourse to protection and a grievance procedure, the focus is where it should be: on the bully. This ensures that the bully is held accountable for their actions and the victim is not unfairly impacted. With the real source of the problem addressed, the result is a healthy safe place to work. Happy people are productive, their talents and skills shining like Sirius in the night sky.
Bullies are not happy people. Maybe the best outcome of all of the new progressive laws is that the perpetrators will finally have to confront their own behavior and get the help they desperately need. Bullies also deserve a chance to learn and grow.
And their victims deserve a happy existence without fear. Are you listening Jimmy?
By Doreen Marion Gee