Managing Workplace Bullying by Aryanne Oade

Author:Aryanne Oade
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2008-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

From the description of the action above we cannot know why the marketing manager decides to use bullying behavior at this moment in his working relationship with the PR manager. We can see that he was always difficult to work with and for, but we do not know what intrapersonal or situational factors have prompted him to take these specific, punishing actions at this juncture. We can clearly see, however, that the PR manager is going to be in for a rough ride unless she stands her ground fairly and squarely for the length of her employment working for this man.

Starting to Bully: Key Lessons

There is no right or wrong way to handle the situation described above. But there are ways to handle it that will prove more beneficial and ways to handle it that will prove less prudent:

In the first instance the PR manager handles the situation poorly and leaves herself vulnerable to further bullying behavior in future. She doesn’t react to her manager’s abusive comments, fails to lay down any boundaries in the conversation and fails to create any consequences for her manager to deal with as a result of trying to bully her. Sadly for her she loses power in the relationship, assists her boss in attempting to embed a bullying dynamic into the relationship and hands the initiative to him.

In the second instance the PR manager handles her boss reasonably well. She protects herself from an abusive call by ending it. She then tells her boss that she isn’t available to speak with him until the following morning at work, before ending the call a second time. These actions give him pause for thought and let him know that, if he uses such behavior with her in future, he won’t have it all his own way.

In the third instance, though, the PR manager is at her most assertive and most self-protective. She makes it her job to stay in the conversation with her manager despite his abusive behavior toward her. She clarifies her boundaries and, even though her manager is behaving outrageously, puts the ball right back into his court. She does this in three distinct ways: She uses an assertive and even tone, denoting to her manager that she is not overawed by his tactics but is in charge of both what she is saying and how she is saying it. She tells him – via her tone and measured, paced verbal delivery – that she and she alone chooses what she says and he does not have the power to throw her off course.

She demands written proof of his feedback that she hasn’t prepared fully for the following day’s meeting. This calls his bluff and, should he decide to write down his concerns – something which isn’t at all likely as they are bogus – she will be able to respond to them in a considered fashion, having written evidence of his allegations against her, allegations that she and he both know are unfounded.

She

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