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The Forum > Article Comments > Is there any place free of bullying? > Comments

Is there any place free of bullying? : Comments

By Carolyn Currie, published 25/8/2011

Bullying of academics, politicians, corporate officers and regulation has bought us to the worst financial crisis since 1929.

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Whinge, whinge, whinge. If you want to feel like a victim, go right ahead, but don't expect me to feel sorry for you. I don't have time for people who always seek to blame others for things they perceive as unsatisfactory in their own lives.

This reads like a plea for entry to the "Sisterhood of the Snivelling Rants". Why is it that so many women professionals seem to expect a free kick and get so upset when someone has the temerity to disagree?

It doesn't reflect well.

It might also explain some of the 50% lower productivity of women in the workforce. It's hard to be productive when you're constantly worying about people treating you the way you think you deserve.
Posted by Antiseptic, Thursday, 25 August 2011 8:10:41 AM
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A good article. I'm not sure that bullying is corrupting capitalism but it is certainly destroying workplace productivity to the tune of about $10B a year according to HREOC.

My career(s) in politics and uni teaching were fairly rich in strong personalities and I met my fair share of narcissist psychopaths. This might sound odd but I always felt sorry for those who stood by and watched, who kept a low profile. The taint of cowardice must be hard to live with.

It's also curious that Anti-Skeptic's comment is the reality denying stance of the bully. Probably hasn't had his prunes this morning.
Posted by Cheryl, Thursday, 25 August 2011 9:08:12 AM
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Bullying can have a huge impact on productivity and long reaching effects on those who experience bullying. Bullying happens even if there are over-reporting of claims as I think is Antiseptic's beef.

The issue I have with the article is, it does not matter how many more regulations are implemented to increase the rights of freedom of speech or to reduce bullying it will not eradicate these behaviours. And regulation is only as good as the leaders who are vested with that responsibility within an organisation. If there is any wrongdoing to be swept under the carpet or whitewashed in some way, regulation alone won't help. However, the advantage of legislation is it provides some legal redress should matters extend that far.

We already have freedom of speech ingrained in legislation. It is in the practise of FOS that comes with it's own repercussions in some institutions at some times.

There are places free of bullying but cultures change often with changes in leadership or changes in staff.

The author has already made a difference in writing about her experiences in the accounting and audit professions in seeking greater integrity in those processes.

There are similar distortions of figures and descriptions in some government annual reports, or minimal information provided to avoid greater scrutiny. I wonder if there is similar pressure on the ANAO in undertaking government audits, often within the reports are claims that certain documents or ministerial submissions could not be found and put down simply to poor record keeping. Those documents must be somewhere.
Posted by pelican, Thursday, 25 August 2011 9:27:01 AM
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I am glad to stimulate comments. Let me state that despite bullying I always argued unflinchingly for what I believed in and I did achieve significant changes to government changes and practices of which I am very proud. As far as being a victim, I am debt free and able to do exactly what I want with no fears of financial discrimination. How many can say that!! so what I have tried to do is give others hope to speak out. Regulations are necessary but as stated, the practice of prudential supervision is a fine art - as Roosevelt said, walk and talk softly but carry a big gun - it is the ability to escalate sanctions that is important. There is no doubt in my mind that universities have deteriorated to the point of academics being more concerned re their security than their invaluable contributions to their science. So "skeptic" continue to post and attempt to belittle my description of what happens to whistleblowers - to me they are not the victims but the true free spirits of the world. You my dear are the bully who will disappear into the netherworld and never achieve any serenity or true freedom. Like the last two posts I feel sorry for you and your ilk.
Posted by Dr Currie, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:01:06 AM
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I wondered what that sticky stuff running out the bottom of my monitor was.

Turned out to be lashings of ego.
Posted by Hasbeen, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:09:11 AM
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Since it didn't also come out of my monitor, it must have been yours.
Posted by Bugsy, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:25:25 AM
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Dr currie:"How many can say that!"

Me for a start and I'll bet I've had to work a whole lot harder and accept a whole lot more "abuse" and "unfairness" than you've ever seen. The other difference is that I don't whinge about it or pretend that it makes me somehow "special".

You've chosen to work in a field in which the dominant paradigm is by nature a conservative one. It's also exceptionally well-rewarded. the corollary to accepting the king's silver is that you take the king's orders. Don't like the orders, stop taking the silver. The king probably won't care much either way unless you try to cause disruption among the rest of the soldiers. It's not as if you have some special skill that he lacks in others.

Dr currie:"There is no doubt in my mind that universities have deteriorated to the point of academics being more concerned re their security than their invaluable contributions to their science."

On that we're in complete agreement. A large part of that is the socialist paradigm that has become entrenched in the academic workforce.

You say "For years I studied and ended up with six degrees" and "in search of freedom I accepted a Commonwealth Scholarship.". And in a fit of pique because there was a quid pro quo, you've spat the dummy.

About 6000 people spat the dummy to Worksafe Victoria last year about bullying and at least 5940 of them were found to be describing behaviour that is not bullying at all. I expect you'd have made it 5941.
Posted by Antiseptic, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:57:03 AM
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BTW, the link to your website at the bottom of the article doesn't work.
Posted by Antiseptic, Thursday, 25 August 2011 11:05:24 AM
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Hmmm ... interesting watching people bullying one another about bullying. There is no place free of human self interest and so I suspect, no place free of bullying. The impact on global finance (and probably global everything else) is unfortunate.
Posted by ruthie2011, Thursday, 25 August 2011 11:15:25 AM
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Dr Currie - what country was this article written for and in? as far as I know cash flow statements have been mandatory for reporting companies under Aus now international accounting standard since the early 90s.

Two banks to its knees? worst financial crisis? the worst financial crisis in Austrlia was far and away the late 80s-early 90s which swept all the old state banks off the board, among other effects.

This crisis, Aus banks were for a time virtually the only ones with any money.. a point recognised even in comic strips (the Alex cartoons in the AFR).

So I strongly suspect that most of this is about American conditions.

As for the bullying - sure, you get commercial pressures, and it is often hard to stand up to the nonsense which is endemic.
Posted by Curmudgeon, Thursday, 25 August 2011 11:30:06 AM
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I must admit Ruthie that I too am a little surprised by the venom in some of these replies.

The article seemed to me to be a reasonably and fairly stated opinion born from personal experience. I'm not sure how one can deny that experience without denying there are serious and at times criminal repercussions to workplace bullying.

One would not like to think that OLO has become of forum for simple personal projections or hysterical knee-jerk reactions (although there will always be a few).
Posted by Cheryl, Thursday, 25 August 2011 11:32:07 AM
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"I was bullied into supplying all my data, so that someone could rerun my experiment and refute my results."

And here I was thinking that replication was an essential part of science, and that researchers should be grateful for the fact that someone else will take the time and trouble to check their findings.

But I'm sure Dr. Currie can find plenty of equally outraged supporters -- among the AGW elite, for instance.
Posted by Jon J, Thursday, 25 August 2011 1:06:30 PM
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...Is it not also called the "tall poppy syndrome"?
Posted by diver dan, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:36:12 PM
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Yes Cheryl..

the few like myself who never made it to the top… The “grim reapers” of tall poppies… But,Its been a rough time for us down here also, be assured…
Posted by diver dan, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:42:46 PM
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G’day Cumudgeon:

...I didn’t get to say I enjoyed your article…
Posted by diver dan, Thursday, 25 August 2011 10:49:46 PM
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