The Act
Workplace bullies act up because that is all they know.Most workplace bullies are looking for power because they are insecure and fear being found out. Bullying behaviour comes in several personality types. Some bullies yell and scream and you never know what kind of mood they are in. One minute they are nice and the next they yell and scream creating a toxic workplace.
Others are constantly criticizing everyone and everything in order to deflect their own incompetency. Another type is one who lies and deceits his or her way up the workplace ladder.These types are very dangerous because they can never be trusted as they will always make it look like they are not at fault.Finally there is the one who controls access to the means to do your job.They can put roadblocks up that impede progress.
If an employee feels unsafe in the workplace,they tend to do poorer when they are dealing with clients or customers. Their productivity goes down and their absenteeism increases because they just don’t want to face the bully at work. When the service to the client and customer drops the bottom line is affected.
The key is  to empower and support the employee[victim] whenever the employee points out concerns regarding a line managers behaviour. Here are some simple keys to empowering the employees when it comes to workplace bullying.
1]Do not dismiss an employee’s comment as trivial.
2]Do not make excuses for the line manager.
3]Hold your line manager to a high code of conduct
4]Allow the employee to go over the line managers head as a last resort in order to bring inappropriate behaviour to light
5]Employees must feel safe when confronting their line managers behaviour
6]Make sure that the line manager clearly understands that any retaliation towards an employee who brings forth bullying behaviour will result in immediate and harsh concequences.
7] Start from the premise that all bullys are cowards and liars and examine the evidence,if it reads and sounds like bullying it probably is.
8]Make sure the victim is fully supported in all matters including where appropriate a gradual return to work. This is sensible as many victims have been absent from work and have suffered greatly.
9]The law now looks favourably on victims judging by the recent compensation pay-outs and it may well be that the organisation concerned faces bad publicity which can be very damaging,as well as paying out compensation.Â