It’s sad to hear about the recent incident of a police officer who took his own life. He also posted various accusations of being a victim of workplace bullying.
While this is still being investigated, I believe that workplace bullying still exists in many organizations. It could be in many forms:
Verbal bullying: This includes name-calling, insults, threats, and other forms of verbal abuse.
Physical bullying: This includes hitting, pushing, shoving, and other forms of physical abuse.
Social bullying: This includes spreading rumors, isolating someone, and other forms of social exclusion.
Cyberbullying: This includes sending mean or threatening emails, texts, or social media posts.
I’ve also personally heard a few stories of workplace bullying. What can we do to prevent workplace bullying from happening?
Recently learnt about the Bystander Effect – whereby individuals in a larger group “ignore” the victim of bullying and stand by the sidelines, as they feel a sense of diffused responsibility (i.e. i’m not the ONLY person who can help, maybe others will help), and a sense of diminished identity (i.e. i’m part of a larger crowd, it is harder to identify me as an individual, or this is not an individual act but a collective action, so it is okay).
Perhaps this could be a reason why workplace bullying is perpetuated? This effect can be countered by educating the masses though (research-proven), perhaps through workplace talks/ workshops to allow employees to learn about such an inevitable effect we experience as being a part of a group.
Any thoughts on whether such an issue should be addressed in a more top-down manner, and be taken into the hands of higher levels in organisations?
I recently started poly and managed to fit into the class perfectly. However, after about 3 months in, there was a conflict between a group of classmates with other group. I had no part in the conflict but somehow got accused of spreading rumors. It was a tangled mess and no one believed me when I said I did not even know their situation. I had a talk with my parents and that group of friends. I sat down and asked them I did not want to get involved with them. They finally believed me.
I sat down and asked them if they saw me spreading rumors. They came up with none of course. I also told both groups I don’t even know what the cause of the conflict was. I did not do anything wrong or mean so there was nothing to be afraid of. I am still friends with both groups as it was not me who caused the conflict in the first place.
that’s good to hear, @CrissCross. glad the misunderstanding is sorted out now. I hope the rest of your poly journey goes on smoothly without such drama.