Municipal Monitor - March/April 2008 - (Page 16)

Subtle Sabotage Female Bullying Trends in the Workplace By Lauren M. Bernardi he statistics a re sta r tling. Estimates are that anywhere from 58 to 70% of all workplace bullies are women. Women are also targeted by bullies approximately 80% of the time. Perhaps even more astonishing is that the single most common type of bullying is female to female.1 T What is Bullying? Broadly defined, bullying is any behaviour that intimidates, humiliates or demeans a person. It is frequently about domination and control over a perceived threat. Examples of bullying behaviour can range from blatant to quite subtle and include: • physically abusive or aggressive behaviour such as pushing, hitting, finger pointing or standing close to the target in an aggressive manner; • verbally abusive behaviour such as yelling, insults and name calling, often in front of other people; • persistent, excessive nit-picking, unjustified criticism and constant scrutiny; • spreading malicious rumours; • repeatedly excluding or ignoring the target; • undermining the target’s efforts by setting impossible goals and deadlines and refusing training opportunities; • imposing an excessive workload or removing all but the most menial tasks; • sabotaging the employee’s work or taking credit for it; • impeding an employee’s efforts at promotions or transfers; 16 • municipal MONITOR ©Lisafx/Dreamstime.com • singling out the target e.g., coming down hard on the target for behaviour that is accepted from others; • refusing to allow targets to take sick, compassionate or vacation leave; • imposing discipline for trivial or fabricated infractions. Differences between Male and Female Bullies Although both men and women engage in all types of bullying behaviours to varying degrees, women tend to be less physically aggressive and engage in more subtle forms of bullying. Like young girls in the schoolyard, female bullies tend to target their victims through the following tactics: Relational: damaging or threatening to damage a relationship. Indirect: spreading malicious rumours about the victim. Social: engaging in exclusion and damaging social status within a group. In addition, female bullies are more likely than their male counterparts to select their targets because they are independent, competent, not interested in office politics and represent a threat to the bully. Estimates are that anywhere from 58 to 70% of all workplace bullies are women. Why it Persists One of the biggest challenges to combating female bullying is that it can be so subtle, making it harder to prove and eliminate. For example, if a supervisor repeatedly kicked or yelled at an employee the supervisor would March/April 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - March/April 2008

Municipal Monitor - March/April 2008 Contents President's Message: Stress and Change Viewpoint: Much Ado About Nothing? Covering the Cost: Tapping into Safe, Sustainable Water and Sewage Services Closed Session Investigations: What Do They Mean for Your Municipality? Subtle Sabotage: Female Bullying Trends in the Workplace Water Under the Bridge Municipal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - March/April 2008

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