Posts Tagged ‘FedSmith’
Workplace Bullying: Psychological Violence?
Monday, May 4th, 2009
By Steve Oppermann
FedSmith.com
December 3, 2008
I have written previously on workplace violence; this time, I am going to offer a few thoughts on bullying in the workplace, which a number of experts see as a form of workplace violence. Dr. Gary Namie has described bullying as “psychological violence,” and I think that is a very good description. The article will also touch on cyber-bullying, a new form of bullying that is as current as today’s headlines. (See, also, Pondering the Impact of Workplace Violence.)
You may have read the very recent – and profoundly disturbing – headline about a Missouri woman who was found guilty of misdemeanor crimes in a “MySpace” cyber-bullying case linked to a 13-year-old girl’s suicide. According to prosecutors, the woman conspired with her young daughter and a business associate to create a fictitious profile of a 16-year-old boy on MySpace to harass Megan Meier, apparently in an effort to humiliate Megan for saying mean things about her daughter.
The “boy” sent flirtatious messages to Megan, but then abruptly changed to a very harsh tone, telling her “The world would be a better place without you.” After receiving that message, Megan hanged herself with a belt in her bedroom closet. According to prosecutors, the woman knew that Megan suffered from depression and was emotionally fragile.
A major USA Today article dated November 19, 2008, entitled “Bullying devastates lives,” and chronicled the sad stories of three women who experienced constant bullying in school – one for having red hair, one for being shy, and one for being “different.”
Tags: FedSmith, Oppermann
Posted in Bullying in the News, Bullying Tutorials, Health Care | 195 Comments »
Federal Workplace Bullying, Part 2
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
By Steve Oppermann
FedSmith.com
February 17, 2009
“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.” ~Rachel Scott, Columbine High School shooting victim
Reader reaction to my initial article on workplace bullying was so strong Ð at least 75 comments on FedSmith.com and roughly 30 e-mails sent directly to me from employees in a wide variety of Federal agencies Ð that I felt compelled to write a follow-up article. Virtually all of the contacts have been from people who had either personally experienced workplace bullying or had witnessed such conduct, and many of those stories were extremely moving.
There were a number of similarities among the comments made in response to my first workplace bullying article. Some of the correspondents indicated that they had been bullied by a supervisor, some by a co-worker, and some by a group of co-workers. In several cases, the writer felt that the supervisor was aware of the bullying problem but was unwilling or unable to stop the subordinate from engaging in bullying behavior. I suspect that in at least a few cases the supervisor was also intimidated by the bully, even though he/she was a subordinate.
In responding to the e-mails that were sent to me, I addressed several points that I thought were particularly important.
First, I strongly encouraged the writers to contact their Employee Assistance Program (EAP) immediately and arrange to speak to a counselor. EAP services are generally free to employees for up to a specific number of visits per issue, and taking this step would give the troubled employee access to a qualified professional counselor who could serve as an objective “sounding board” and could undoubtedly provide the employee with some tips on developing “coping skills.”
Tags: FedSmith, Oppermann
Posted in Bullying in the News, Bullying Tutorials | 8 Comments »
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