Bullies take toll at office
Bully.
It's a word numerous politicians and former colleagues have used to describe
John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state and U.N. ambassador nominee. Bolton has
been accused by Republicans and Democrats of abusing underlings and having an
explosive temper.
Bully.
It's also been used by underlings to describe former San Bernardino County
Clerk of the Board J. Rene Bastian.
After
multiple complaints from her employees, Bastian walked away from her job May 10
with a settlement that includes four months' pay and a mutual agreement not to
discuss her departure.
Bully.
It's not just about taking some kid's money in the schoolyard anymore.
An
office bully can seem pleasant and accessible to superiors but be controlling
and verbally abusive to underlings, said psychologist Gary Namie, president of
the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute, based in Bellingham, Wash.
This
type of management style, often called "kiss up, kick down,' can
negatively affect employees to the point they suffer health issues and mental
trauma, Namie said.
Bullying
in the workplace has become such a widespread problem that Assemblywoman Gloria
Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, co-authored a bill in 2003 that would have held California
employers liable if their employees abused other employees.
"We
don't approve of abusive work environments or bullying in schools,' McLeod
said. "It's an important issue, but unfortunately (the bill) died in the
last legislative session.'
There
are no other workplace abuse bills before the Legislature, but McLeod said she
would support one if it were introduced.
An
investigation into the Clerk of the Board's Office in March turned up multiple
complaints about hostile and mean behavior and 29 employee turnovers since
Bastian became clerk in 2001.
Bastian,
reached by telephone, declined to comment for this article and referred all
questions to a written response she submitted to the Board of Supervisors in a
closed session May 10.
"The
investigative report contains inaccuracies and generalization. As such, I
disagree with the information contained in the report,' she wrote in the
written response.
Although
employees had logged complaints since 2002, nothing was done, said Tom Ramsey,
director of field services for the San Bernardino County Public Employees
Association.
"If
it was frustrating for us, it was even more frustrating for employees. They
were being misused,' he said. "It's just getting someone to deal with it.
... This county just doesn't seem to be too inclined to do anything about it.'
Namie
said it is typical of a large company or government to ignore employee concerns
in deference to "managerial prerogative.'
"To
stop it, you've got to squelch the opportunities, write a policy, enforce the
policy, and then you close the door and deprive them of the opportunity,' he
said. "You can't re-engineer these people. The environment pulls the dark
side out of them and makes their aggressive tendencies more likely.'
County
Chief Administrative Officer Mark Uffer said the county failed to deal with
concerns about the county clerk's office for so long due to inconsistency in
the position he now holds. There have been five chief administrative officers
since 1998.
"That
causes a lack of oversight sometimes,' Uffer said. "But things are
starting to get cleaned up. I have a zero-tolerance policy.'
Ramsey
said he's glad the situation is resolved.
"If
bullying goes on unchecked, then the bully feels like it's OK, and they
accelerate the bullying,' he said.
Namie
likened Bastian's style, as described by a number of her employees, to
Bolton's, as described by his critics.
"This
really crystalizes what America and American management is all about valuing
cunning and aggression and bravado more than anything else.'
But
Uffer objected to San Bernardino County being thrown into that classification.
"I
don't think the county can be blamed for having a bullying culture,' he said.
"There are a lot of hardworking department managers. This is the exception
to the rule.'
Steps you can take
Name
the bully because that externalizes the problem and legitimizes the person
being targeted by the bully.
Take
time off because of the emotional-abuse aspect. Go home, see a counselor, check
physical health. Psychologist Gary Namie recommends seeing a general
practitioner because a host of stress-related diseases, such as hair falling
out, begin silently.
Use
the organization's violence policy. File a complaint or consult an attorney.
Make
the business case, not the emotional case. Describe the costs of turnover and
prove that the bully is too expensive to keep.
Gather
data and present it to the person not directly connected to the bully.
Source:
Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute