A very dear friend of mine has been subjected to bullying behaviour that is beyond appalling; resulting in her closing her extremely successful business and turning her back on her extraordinary creative talent.
Her email to update me on the latest bit of the saga brought tears to my eyes. And it’s made me very angry.
I investigate bullying complaints – so I have seem first hand the range of behaviours from stupidity, poor communication and poor management to gross & unlawful behaviour such as bullying and harassment. I’ve also seen the other side, where good people are accused of bad things by people misusing the provisions of the law.
But it still seems impossible to me that in this day and age, with all that we know about its effects, that true bullying behaviour is still far, far too common. That people can’t treat each other with respect. That they can’t disagree in a way that’s not threatening or intimidating. That they can’t resolve a dispute without resorting to legal tactics.
I wish I could say it’s a one off – but it’s not. There are those that behave almost like they are the cat playing, teasing, the dying mouse.
I don’t know how these people behave when they go home. How they are with their families and in their communities – but I do see the effects of their behaviour on individuals and teams within the workplace.
We talk a lot about school yard bullying. About our kids being exposed to cyber bullying. But, perhaps we should be looking less at the kids and more from where they are seeing the behaviour in the first place.
Truly. When are we going to take a stand and say it’s not right, this behaviour. And not just because it’s against the law (which it is), but because it is just not right.
