Bullying at workplaces - a silent epidemic!

                       

“Borrow trouble for yourself, if that’s your nature, but don’t give it to your neighbor.” 

Perhaps Rudyard Kipling knew something about bullying…He didn’t want it, nor do I. Harassment at places that necessitate an unavoidable social interface has always been considered more of a civilization attribute than an adverse and abominable human behavioural pattern so much so that our reaction mechanisms to any kind of harassment are often finely-adjusted by this ubiquitous conformist mindset. If not disregarded as cynicism it can be said with a fair amount of leniency that bullying and its various forms have become more of an office-accessory now, engendering the whole gamut of interpersonal relationships at the work-place. As such it becomes imperative to study this unhealthy tendency in its various contexts, given the profound impact it has on the productivity of organizations. Also accusations of bullying have become much more common, perhaps representing an increased perception and awareness rather than the rise in the abusive personalities in the system. 

‘Workplace bullying is a major source of stress, breakdown and malfunction in modern systems. It is an important issue for organizations especially the health services because of its potential impact on staff health and patient care. This petty tyranny or mobbing can take many forms ranging from subtle to the most obvious. Having said that, it is also important to  distinguish between  hard driving bosses (ladder climbers) who push aggressively for positive organizational results and bullies (dinosaurs), who are demeaning and destructive to the workplace as such’, says Dr. Javed Latoo, Consultant Psychiatrist and leading Neuropsychiatrist working at National Health Services, United Kingdom.  He further adds, ‘Work places are a fertile breeding ground for interpersonal conflicts and development of dysfunctional relationships especially in hierarchical systems where the potential for conflicts is pronounced but Kashmiri workplaces, I believe,  are more of melting pots and a lot of the bullying and discrimination which is taking place in there can be  cross-cultural.''

        The most detrimental bullying is not conspicuous and does not fit the stereotype of a bully having an outburst in the office. It is more covert and tends to be more subtle: condescending rather than straightforward abuse, and aggressive, sarcastic remarks rather than outright insults. And because bullies are at the top of the food chain, the bad behavior of even a few of them can set a virulent and trenchant tone for the whole organization. A lot of organizations get in dire straits, where tempers flare easily and interpersonal problems have been allowed to brandish unabated. While many organizations have anti-bullying policies on the books, too few see it as a serious issue.    

               The problem of bullying needs to be approached with purpose. Acknowledgement of the problem could be done for starters. Anti bullying policies to be formulated and implemented as first course and teaching appropriate skills to  deal with bullying, program for trainees to confront bullying adequately and appropriate reward-punishment for the concerned, could follow suit. It is not easy to prevent bullying and harassment in the workplace. It requires people to moderate their behavior so that they become positive role models and demands considerable changes in institutional culture. The negative impacts of bullying on the well being of people and overall morale in the organizational workforce demand our continuing efforts to resolve the problem.  Needless to say, it would take a lot of time and resolve before this problem is controlled or eradicated. However, if it is allowed to grow it will not only frustrate our combating efforts but also cripple the current working system. It is high time to show zero tolerance and say no to bullying.