rectub
"There are plenty of office jobs in both if they really want to wear the uniform, but, leave the 'tough stuff' to the 'tough people'"

No bullies can be even worse in the office. It it not about toughness, in fact one was bullied for being too assertive in laying down the law.

It is about power. Power in the wrong hands with modern workplace conditions. Cave man had a better balance in life and there were tough. Nothing to do with toughness, though nice to see someone ignorant of it means one person has not been a victim yet.

I agree with Missus.

StG and rehctub: There are ways that competent organizations and managers can get troublesome people up to speed or out the door. Such ways include performance appraisal; personal development plans and the like.

There is a difference between the use of management strategies and bullying.

Bullies are often the least competent people and the victim is often someone who is, even unintentionally, a threat to existing dominance because of their competence.

Here is one of my favourite sites - Tim Field's work in compiling this site and information is remarkable.

http://www.bullyonline.org/

Apologies for voicing a parallel argument. You're mistaking me for someone who disagrees.

Pynchme makes a good point about competency. Bullies are bullies purely because they do not possess the tools and skills necessary to manage.

Whistleblowing cases bring out the bully in the worst offenders because it threatens to expose incompetence at best, corruption at worst.

If anyone is interested, tonight on SBS at 8.30pm there is the first of a three part series on whistleblowers starting I believe with Andrew Wilkie, the only intelligence officer to speak out against the invasion of Iraq.

Good I will watch that.

I noticed the increase in bullying occured when companies started to hire managers from outside based on high quality resumes, qualifications and self confidence at interview. Rarely on proven management ability and people skills. A response to one of the articles I linked so referred to it as "parachuting into jobs". Although at face value these attributes are very good, without the addition of good management experience they are quite dangerous skills reflecting pure ego and possibly power freak personality traits.

I worked for a manager once, he did not seem to like anyone. Old grouch. However he recognised the skills each staff member had and exploited those skills for the benefit of the company. He would yell at you for taking 3 days for work he thought should take 1 day. Wanted to know why. You told him why and next thing he comes back and says IT are working on a solution he thought of. Within a month the task only took one day. Some called him a bully but all he lacked was bedside manner, he was a brilliant manager.

He left and was replaced by designer suit clad ego on a road to financial success story. Looked good, sounded good, great resume. Too complex to describe so will use an analogy.

con't

A manager of head office bank goes into branch where he is on holidays and ask teller for $2,000 and will fill paperwork out later. Teller refuses as against company policy so supervisor calls and says teller should give him the money. Next day designer suit calls from head office gives a warning to teller for not following procedure. Even though two senior employees instructed her to.

Next day the manager walks in and demands another $2,000. Teller refuses. Supervisor comes over and teller still refuses. Supervisor and manager complain to designer suit and he calls teller and abuses them for not following instructions from managers. That is bullying.

The teller could do nothing to please manager as he only was out to make himself look good to two senior managers, one who wanted the rules followed and one that wanted the rules broken. He had no need to impress the bank teller. That is workplace bullying. He pleases the ones that matter but not through good management, just from sucking up. He exposes the company to risk by placing it at financial loss and by allowing procedures to be bypassed, he also risks losing employees as nobody can work in this condition, he puts the company at risk for stress leave claims and also for lawsuits.

It is incompentance because the best outcome for the company is not his ambition, it is a belief all he has to do it look compliant and agreeable to those that matter for his next promotion. It is also why many bullies are described as being so nice, except toward the victim.