Having worked for over 30 years as a technical manager in heavy industry I have some experience with the type of associates and superiors described. I recall three comments from one individual superior which I can still quote verbatim.
1. "....don't you think its your job to do what the MD (now CEO) wants."
and my reply, "No, its my job to do the best I can."(That of course required me to point out where I thought mistakes were being made.)
2. ".....I don't necessarily disagree with you but..." (Understand that we will continue the current course despite your arguments). If a boss cannot win the argument on solid reasoning he should change course.
3. "Christmas is an historical accident." He had no concept of a spirit of goodwill even for a few days of the year.
I understand that the nickname of the Chairman of one large compamy is "Don't Argue." This is a recipe for long term disaster as is the concept of a substantial salary margin for the CEO. All the doubters who realise that sometimes the "Emporer has no clothes" won't rock the boat as they might hurt thier chance of winning the salary lottery. A study once indicated that to avoid this problem the top four or five executives should have a salary spread of no more than about 30%. The present salaries of senior executives is obscene and unnecessary.
Foyle

There has been much hype about anti-bullying in the media especially in schools. Government departments have anti-bullying sites promoting a safe workplace, yet bullying in the Public Service is rife.

I made the mistake of lodging a complaint against a maniacal Section Head. HR turned the tables on me with the help of Senior Executive gunning after me for 'support required' in my performance. Under new-IR CA I have 16 weeks (in the eyes of the bullying Section and Branch Heads) to get my work performance up to par. Overloading a subordinate with inane reading and multiple 'all important' tasks is a well documented form of bullying.

To think People Management (that's what they're called in Education, Science and Training) is there to support 'workers' is wrong. They act as a buffer & is totally pro-management. The union advocate was told that he had no voice.

Evidence provided in support of my case was ignored while People Management & bullies (Section & Branch Heads) and others put together 'statements' got up. 'One-eyed', 'biased' representation of falsehoods are taken as FACTS. Even statements where stakeholders felt 'shell-shocked' and like they just came out of a "war zone" after a meeting with the Section Head were blatantly ignored. It was all HIS WORDS and management's statements OVER mine & my witnesses' statements.

Politicians lie. Bullying public service management lie. And they lie in a language that carries authority because HR are mere stooges of Management. "People Are Our Assets", " Employer of Choice" and a safe workplace?

Cynthia Shapiro's career guide, Corporate Confidential, subtitled 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You To Know About ~ And What To Do About Them, wrote: "HR's primary concern is NOT to help employees, it is to protect the company FROM its employees." Shapiro added: NEVER make a sexual harrassment claim; NEVER go to HR to resolve a conflict; Don't file a worker's compensation claim; and NEVER complain to HR". Your personal details would be used against you.

Alas I didn't read Shapiro's book 1st. I am being put through the Performance Wringer. Bully for some.

Hey, did anyone else read the list of "Workplace psychopath" characteristics and think this was going to be an article about John Howard?

For the victim of bullying who would like to hit back, an excellent source of material can be found on www.badapplebullies.com

After working with the Government, private enterprise and small business I have observed that the biggest bullies are trade unionist. Their bullying tactics have sent many small businesses to the wall. You would think that they are the people paying the employees instead of looking after them. Thugs who have bullied for decades through the union movement are very slowly being weeded out.

Runner, I'm usually a very tolerant person who listens to all perspectives in OLO posts, but you're really starting to get my goat with your unbridled passion for all things Howard. Now, it seems, you're into union bashing in order to do Howard's dirty work.
Could it be you're hiding behind a nic-name for a reason. Is it because you don't want the world to know you're perhaps Tony Abbott, the very miserable J W Howard himself, or perhaps that over weight blight in spread-sheet journalism Piers Ackerman?

Runner, you call yourself a Christian, but your posts continually show an underlying hatred for the common people. It shows in the way you post and the words you use, mostly underpinned with sarcasm and vitriol. You show few, if any, Christian attributes and appear never to "turn the other cheek." You seem to have a very sour outlook on life as far as I can see and appear to have turned to the Bible in order to find peace. It's plain to see it hasn't worked and for that I'm genuinely sorry.

That said, I must now appoligise to the other posters on this forum for getting way off subject.

I cannot allow runners broad comment to stand. In my thirties (now in mid seventies) I was in charge of a large 500 employee production department in heavy industry where 130 of the employees were engineering maintenance tradesmen and their helpers. They were excellent union men and when I moved up they told their immediate supervisors to make themselves scarce approaching knock off time on my last day and made a presentation to me. There isn't a higher proportion of bad union member employees than there are poor supervisors and employers. Competent supervisors and employers in most situations make bad union officials ineffective.
Foyle

Bullies are essentially cowards.

They are notorious for picking on the weak(er).

So when they push... PUSH BACK.

Ya may need to dig up or accumulate some dirt. Preferably personal.

Bullies are easily bullied.

Dont fear them, that's their greatest tool.

l know a guy, in management no less, who used to get bullied, so, one day, in the stair well he pinned the bully by the neck and told him to find a softer target. Not my preferred method, but it ended the problem instantly.

Foyle, runners original comment was in relation to unions vs small business. That's really when unions can flex their muscles and the power often went the heads of the reps. 5 employees is a very different story to 500 employees, and you need to take this in context. The employers and supervisors of the 500 employees, usually have large monetary and legal resources behind them, whereas the employer of 5 people will often have less resources (and those that he has are normally tied up in the business) than most of their employees.

That said, I do not see many cases of unions bullying small business these days. It was certainly quite common in the 80's. In a number of cases the bullying happened despite protests from the MEMBERS at the worksite, who were forced to comply with the union rep when they didnt want to (were on the side of the employer).

Aimee

I am glad you are 'a very tolerant person'. Your reation to my post does not indicate that. I am glad you are not my judge as you accuse me of having a hatred for people. If that is the case I am in big strife.

I have no affilation with any political party. Pointing out union thuggery as happens regularly on building sites in WA is straight out bullying.

I do admire Tony Abbott as he seems one of the few politicians geniunely concerned about the number of abortions in this country. I know very little else about him.

I realise that many times on these posts I have a counter view and I see no reason not to air it. Turning the other cheek has nothing to do with having an opinion.

Runner - the CFMEU represents 7000 members in WA while the SDA and LHMU both have over 20,000 each. Those 40,000 however are mostly female and earning under the average wage, and don't make great tabloid fodder. Perhaps you missed the news last night that while the police have dropped the assualt charge against the CFMEU official they are still investigating the employer for assault over the same issue?

I am not making any excuses for Joe McDonald and the CFMEU, their thuggery is disgraceful, but the majority of unionists are not construction workers earning $100K, they are ordinary working people trying to maintain a work-life balance.

On the workplace psycho - I believe some years ago a study was done proving that upper management and executive figures were far more likley than the rest of the workforce to be pyschopathic or sociopathic - basically you can't get to the top in most businesses without cutting down other people and climbing up on their corpses. It takes a completely self-obsessed individual who really does not care about others to be a success in many businesses.

There was a gobsmacking case of a workplace psychopath on the recent 4 corners episode on Telstra's call centres. I don't know the guy's name, but he was like a robot - no compassion at all.

The employees were terrified, even the middle management level. A pregnant employee had to provide a doctor's certificate justifying the increased number of toilet breaks she was taking.

We dumped Telstra as a result of that.

Thanks Foyle, CTan and Chainsmoker,

I understand some people have come to the discussion of workplace bullying from a political mindset. Hard to escape that and I did make mention of the IR laws, deregulation, etc.

My gut feeling is that there are many 'little office Hitler's' on the rise - and it doesn't matter if they're from small business or trade unions. I'm not talking about the 'pain in the bum' boss but 'Aliens' in suits (or hard hats). They are workplace assassins.

You guys have mentioned three examples. The complete workplace psycho seems to thrive in organisations which have distinct heirarchies such as the military and the public service (or call centres). Temps also seem to be cannon fodder.

I was wondering whether they are born like that (?) or whether the organisational environment acts as a trigger for them to run amok?

The example of the pregnant woman who needed a Drs cert because she needed more toilet breaks is telling. Absolutely no empathy or regard for staff. Yet why are they so successful?

Cheryl aka Malcolm King

To exist and flourish, workplace bullying must be sanctioned from the top down. It is systemic and there is no way to avoid its tentacles, you either 'suck-up' and cop it or go down.

The best advice one can give an employee is to always have some other irons in the fire and the CV ready. Timely flight, ie at the first realisation that something is awry in the work area, is the reasonable alternative and if that means taking a lesser job elsewhere and working up the ladder again then so be it.

Asking questions, going to HR (shudder), attempting to 'go around' the bully or taking the so-called grievance procedures will certainly diminish an employee's job, prospects and life. Just quietly (important!) and urgently seek a life elsewhere.

The IR changes under Howard made workplace bullying infinitely easier, but that was intended, right?

My most miserable work place experience was at Coles Myer, it was so bad that I ended up at a psychologist where I learned other clients were from the same work place. The organisation harrassed staff into quitting so they couldn't claim redundancy payments. I watch the breakup of the conglomerate with mild amusement and caution Wesfarmers to bust the culture if they want to remain successful.

Did any one else see that many small businesses fail to make superannuation payments on behalf of their employees, and the numbers of non-complying businesses is rising. That's not bullying that's stealing.

If you hunt round Perth now you can find the complete Joe McDonald video and its really easy to see why the boss is still under police investigation

C Tan. I made some public complaints about the education of my children and their treatment by some teachers and boy have my family paid the price.

For over 6 years we have been 'paid back'. It is irrelevant to the system that I have clear evidence to support my family’s allegations that my children are being systematically victimized, bullied, neglected, vilified and discriminated against by psychopaths in power in the education system and that there is a conspiracy to cover up. Had I had any idea that this would happen I would have just left the public system, homeschooled my kids or put them in private schools and never looked back. I was naive, I believed them when they said that if you have any issues to put them forward.

The process that they use to handle allegations and complaints ensures that those that you allege are responsible are the ones that handle the complaint against themselves, and they present whatever picture and documents they want to present and they know that the process is set up so that it will not be challenged. Whatever those you allege are responsible present is accepted on face value, those that complain only ever get to present their concerns to those about whom they complain. There is no such thing as procedural fairness and natural justice.

My family is taking the DET to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to have documents that we received under FOI amended to reflect the truth as they present lies to everybody so nobody acts on the matter. This has allowed those in the system to continue to target and victimise my children year after year, even targeting my younger children coming up the grades, so we present distressed and with a story to tell that is hard to believe.

I feel for you as I understand how this process works and how it impacts on your life.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better

To Cheryl,

I would argue that bullying and other unfair personnel management practices are usually symptoms of broader systemic corruption.

That is, bullying is a chosen strategy (not an end in itself) because of its unique advantages to the person with power. In such systems bullying can be a time-filling parlour game (keeps staff 'under thumb') as well as being an enabler of otherwise 'problematic' (eg against regulations) decisions and a vital, proactive defense against those who might lift the veil, however innocently.

To elaborate, a boss is in the ideal situation to defraud the organisation and to convert its assets to his/her own use. Through bullying and encouraging subordinate managers to do the same s/he has an ideal means of avoiding scrutiny and audit trails. As a bonus all subordinate managers feel fearful and implicated enough to shut up.

It should come as no surprise that bosses who bully also use 'divide and conquer' to scatter any opposition.

A convenient defence of the corrupt boss is to later deny knowledge of decisions and to claim that s/he trusted the advice of the 'experts' under him/her. This would not be possible where decisions relied upon the legitimate use of authority and delegations and an audit trail is available. Maybe the existence of management bullying should be a red flag for auditors!

Of course there will always be some supervisors and peers who bully through personality problems but that would only be acceptible in the short term while it contributed to the boss's bottom line (accepting that keeping employees unsettled can also be seen by some bosees as contributing to the bottom line).

To summarise, bullying is something that usually occurs where other corruption, possibly criminal, is already in place.

There are plenty of 'normal' people who for survival or advantage are willing to flex their principles and the are celebrated examples of this. Although, speaking in their defence, maybe some wouldn't have gone along so easily had they been forced to confront the system's excesses from the outset.

"I am glad you are 'a very tolerant person'. Your reation to my post does not indicate that. I am glad you are not my judge as you accuse me of having a hatred for people. If that is the case I am in big strife."

LOL Runner. Point taken and noted, although I now see just how easy it is to put a very slight twist on someone's words and give a whole new meaning. I didn't actually say I was "a very tolerant person." I said I was "usually" a very tolerant person. In my earlier post, I wasn't showing empathy or tolerance, but I'd rather not apologise just yet. It's just that post after post, you seem to come across as very angry, particularly when someone says something against the Coalition Government.
Just why are you so staunchly Coalition/John Howard? Have you ever had a good word to say for the opposition? Do you really believe that the Howard led Government is the better economic managers they say they are? Were you beaten up by a union thug? Were you beaten up by your father who was a union thug?

Runner, you sometimes make some very good points, but I beg you, do try a little harder to come across in a more understanding manner. People from all political persuasions post on this site and most of them attempt to provide a level headed discussion. Maybe you're not really that angry. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it's simply the way you write that leads me to believe you hold a terrible hatred of members of the opposition and those who uphold their values. Cheers.

Of course fields in which there is a large amount of bullying, exploitation and victimisation like teaching have high rates of unionisation. My own experience of being bullied confirms that it is best to stand up to bullies. I was purportedly dismissed from my position of leadership within a school because the school administration needed a scapegoat. I was fortunate to be in a strong union school with a wonderful group of mutually supportive teachers. I had the almost unanimous support of the other teachers, who could see exactly what was going on, and I took the acting principal (not a psychopath, but certainly a maker of bad decisions) to the Merit Protection Board, which ordered my re-instatement.

Had I been subject to WorknotcalledChoicesanymore, I could have been sacked on the spot. Interestingly, while I had an AEU representative at the hearing, so did the acting principal, and his AEU representative argued that I should have been dismissed outright, which gives a fascinating perspective on the extent to which one section of the AEU supports bullying of its own members by principals, and bullying by principals is not rare these days, which simply reflects the decline in the quality of people promoted.

I have always been a careful record-keeper, but my experience of this fit-up made me even more meticulous in noting everything I was told to do with my job, in case there was a second attempt to victimise me. When my leading teacher tenure ended, the then principal refused to roll over my position, so after 28 years in leadership positions (acting vice principal, timetabler, daily organiser, subject co-ordinator, sub-school co-ordinator, etc), I finished my time in the profession as a demoted classroom teacher, which cost me tens of thousands of dollars in pay and lost superannuation. I resigned altogether as soon as it became financially possible.

If ever anyone had dared to say to me, “You’re not a team player”, I would have replied, “Yes, I am, but I’m not on your team.”

Cornflower: To make a quiet retreat is not an option as I feel compelled to stand up for myself. In many ways, fighting against bullies (made up of management) is very stressful and a real drain on your energy and well-being (as you lose occupational confidence). If you are proud of your 20 years tenure in the Public Service, then you have to endure the fight until such time a permanent solution is brokered. Management even blocked a lateral transfer to another Branch. The "Spiral of Silence" came into effect as the other Branch Head did not want to step on my bullying Branch Head's toes.

Jolanda: Thanks for your support. The school must be in the neighbourhood you live in for you to tolerate the bullying of not just one child, but other younger ones as well. Move them to a different school that prides itself in pastoral care. That's what another mum did. All her complaints amounted to nought! Or fight the good fight which can negatively impact on you and your children's your physical and educational well-being.

Thanks cornflower, that's a succinct and pretty accurate summary. They certainly do divide, scapegoat and conquer. I'm not so sure that the Executive of an organisation always knows what happens in middle management or in the office or shop floor.

It's too dangerous legally for senior management to turn a blind eye these days (but as some have commented, those that act often put themselves in the firing line) and there's always the media looking for a juicy story, especially if there are pics.

The true workplace psycho seems to operate in a 'bubble'. He or she either does it by stealth or else, as per my comment re Spiral of Silence, the other staff collude in silence (which has its own ethical implications) or else choose to ignore it (same thing).

Re the AEU - I too have some doubts about whether unions are in any position to be able too assist individual cases of work place bullying. Do they lack the resources or the will?

I'll need to check my sources here but it was either a QUT or Queensland Uni report (a couple of years ago) which put the cost of workplace bullying at between $15b-$30b. That's an incredible drain on productivity and healthcare.

I think there's something heroic about taking on a true workcase psycho - but one needs to armed up - with lawyers I fear.

the major difficulty for those confronting these sorts of workplace bullies lies in not coming from a dysfunctional background, unlike the bullying workplace psychopath or sociopath. people who have not grown up in a dysfunctional family or surrounds generally believe that logic and reason will solve problems or at least are the way to address them - including problems arising from the manipulative, abusive, sociopathic and/or psychopathic conduct of the workplace bully. however, logic and reason do not work. the bullies of sociopathic or psychopathic disposition operate dysfunctionally. to deal with them, people who have grown up in dysfunctional families, but who have 'come through' and made or remade themselves into functional human beings, need to be consulted and brought in to planning. they can anticipate the conduct of the bullies, how their 'minds' work, and hence are forewarned and forearmed - and can map out useful, workable plans for ejecting these people from the workplace. sadly, they of course go on, then, taking their dysfunctional psychopathic or sociopathic selves into other workplaces - many, many people - including those who head government departments and sit in ministerial chairs - are scared to death of them. hence, their support for their going elsewhere. after all, if they (the psychopaths/sociopaths) are elsewhere, they can disrupt the lives of others rather than being a problem for the government department heads or government ministers ...

Jocelynne, Please use capital to start your sentences. I found your comment very difficult to decipher.
Foyle

I have some difficulty with the term workplace psychopath. This suggests a pathology as opposed to sociology.
The highlighting by the author Malcolm King that over 55s were targeted may suggest that this was age discrimination. I would argue that over 55s would be targeted because they are mature and do not take this sort of crap easily. I can say this from experience being over 55 and a victim of mobbing. I dont think my age had that much to do with it but rather being female, over 55 and much life experience. As if I would take the kind of intimidation, humiliation and attempt to get rid of me without a fight.

I was very threatening to the manager in question and let her know I would fight her. And because I am mature, have that kind of stamina and resolve. If I had been younger I could not have gone the distance.

It is here where I would like to say that the term psychopath and bully does not sufficiently explain what is happening in many workplaces. The concept of mobbing provides a more comprehensive understanding and shows how it is a way around bullying. The experience I had is where a senior manager was able to mobilise other managers and ultimately a whole office to achieve her ends. It is quite incredible how persons in such power can remain relatively invisible while they get the less senior managers to do the bullying for them. There is a potential for this in any office where their is no clear leadership or accountability.

There was no-one who had neither the decency, political will or moral courage to do anything about it.

So you can imagine the perceived threat when someone comes into the workplace who is mature age and can identify all those problems within a systems framework. If my post can get others thinking about bullying in the context of mobbing then we can start to develop some policy/legislation accordingly. The term psychopath suggests a punitive, individual or medical approach. I am looking for a sociological approach/intervention.

Hi to all interested in the devastating behaviour of workplace bullying.
In GEELONG there is a Support and Action Group for those who have experienced Work Place Bullying.

Contact: stopbullying@bigpond.com

They meet once a month on Thursday at St Davids Church Hall in Newtown. The church charge a modest fee as they see the issue as they do care about justice and human rights. There is absolutely no religious doctrine to the group.

Members are people at different stages of W.P.B. These are some of the things they do.
EG: Am I being bullied? I thought it was just bad behaviour?
Not being the only one.
Mutual support and understanding fro people who really get it...when friends, relatives, and even somemedical proffessionals don't.
Workcover problems, the group are getting very experienced at helping others prepare paperwork, access their rights, try to get wittness statements, find gp's and psychologists who will write reports, etc.
Do stuff the unions won't touch.
Accompany each other to appointments, so insurance companies and their examiners can't use intimidation, or ask innappropriate questions.

EVERYTHING all of you have already said is familiar to anyone working at BUNNINGS. So I won't repeat it all.

I can confirm that Wesfarmers / Bunning Warehouse incorporate bullying into their management techniques. How else do you think they make such a huge profit.
They have a very complex, unfair and tricky employment agreement, the truth of which is not explained upon joining the company. But pretty soon you realize, no-one complains, or makes repeated requests for fairer rostering, no-one asks twice for their "bank of hours " to be paid out in their pay packet as it should. Instead you are "TOLD" to take time off in the quieter periods. Staff fear fear intimidation, threats, even worse rostering, no new uniforms, no training, ridicule, credit taken for work, even mysterious things happen to your hours worked on the computer employee sign on system , where hours mysteriously disappear.

And it gets worse.

So good luck, and don't forget:

stopbullying@bigpond.com