The workplace is where the human capital spends most of their time, outside their home(s), without their family and people they are more acquainted with and comfortable with.
So, you would want it to be free of toxicity and to be a positive environment that fosters high employee morale, encourages engagement, builds good relationships and generally creates a sense of belonging.
We see people talk openly about toxic work environments on social media platforms, their detrimental effects on human capacity and production and how it makes the workplace intolerable and result in employees resigning. This issue is intensifying, and many people endure it in their jobs daily as they voice it out in different social contexts, so we must look into it holistically.
In a toxic work environment, hostility, negativity, and bullying are practised and incorporated into the organisation's culture. Workplace bullying can be defined as the repeated unfavourable treatment of a person by another or others: - supervisors, subordinates, co-workers and colleagues. It can include intimidating, offending, degrading or humiliating another employee.
Bullies usually operate organisation's rules and policies, and their actions may not necessarily be illegal or even contravene these rules and policies. This gives bullies some supremacy, gratification and sense to bully others. No black and white paper can be used to deal with them. Unless, of course, the bullying is coupled with cases such as serial harassment issues or those that are demeaning and defamatory to a point where it contravenes the Supreme law. But bullies are very calculative, so they know what to say, how to do their bullying. Even so, the damage caused by bullies is significant to the targeted/ bullied employee and workplace morale.
Moreover, workplace bullying impacts the general well-being of employees both in the workplace and their personal lives. They experience increased negative stress or distress caused by overwhelming pressures and strain they experience from the workplace, which affects them physically (i.e., fatigue) or mentally (i.e., depression, anxiety).
Employees' experiences and examples of what constitutes bullying may vary for each person. And some employees may not even be aware when they are being bullied until someone else (be it a colleague, friend or family member) indicates makes that deduction from what the bullied employee shares with them about their experiences at work. Or a colleague witnesses the harmful acts being directed towards the bullied employee.
Examples of workplace bullying could include:
- -Constantly critiquing the employee unfairly.
- -Expecting one to meet impossible deadlines, pressuring and stressing one, and overworking them.
- -Denying one opportunity, information and a platform to interact with others.
- -Communicating with one aggressively, both in written and verbal format. Including swearing and screaming.
- -Giving hostile glares and other intimidating gestures.
Harmful acts are not limited to those mentioned above. It should also be highlighted that workplace bullying doesn't just occur. It doesn't need to happen in the "workplace" in terms of its physical location to be deemed workplace bullying. Employees can still engage in social bantering, teasing and humiliating other employees through social media platforms or their engagements outside of work. A "put Jane* down" campaign can be formed anywhere.
Interestingly, conversations around toxic work environments involve women bringing other women down. Actual incidents that have been shared are:
- -An employee's boss says, "You can look all nice, as much as you want, in your Stilettos, but you are still not an executive".
- -A colleague complimented one about how they dress nicely and have a fashion sense and then threw in a jab by saying, "She doesn't have property".
- Threatening employees' personal self-esteem and work status. "You are just an intern. Why do you dress like a permanent employee? You will not be considered for permanent jobs because you don't show that you need a job". Suggesting that it doesn't show that one is "poor" or "in need".
- Employees suggest that one doesn't deserve a permanent position because they don't have a child or "responsibilities".
It needs to be corrected to use one's background as a yardstick to measure their status or position. What is even worse is that most of these acts are perpetuated by women. What happened to women uplifting each other? It is embarrassing, to say the least.
And it is alleged that most of these bullies are women in power or women who would be supervisors or senior in positions. Excuse me for bringing it up on Women's Month. Such behaviour should be called, and there is nothing such as a perfect time to deal with matters that require addressing wrong and calling out conduct that subjects others to such awful experiences.
So, what can be done?
- The bullied employee can bring the matter to their supervisor or the next person in the chain of command. And to HR if the supervisor is the bully. The employee should also keep a record of the incidents and detail everything. And in cases where there are witnesses, they should also be brought forward.
- Witnesses can also actively support the bullied employee, address the bully, and report the matter to the supervisor or HR if the bullying persists.
- Supervisors should devise strategies to minimise and discourage bullying. They should encourage reporting and an open-door policy. Develop their sensitivity and skills in dealing with conflict.
Dealing with these adverse incidents may seem tedious, petty and unnecessary. It may be masked as "office grapevine". However, they should be taken seriously and investigated promptly. It should be addressed with stated examples and how they impact others negatively. HR should also be consulted, and it should suggest appropriate steps to resolve the issue.
