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Taking on a workplace bully

Chana R Schoenberger

Q: My manager is treating one of my colleagues unfairly, yelling at her when

she makes even the smallest mistake and looking for reasons to blame and punish

her. She verbally attacks my colleague in front of the rest of us for things

that are not against the rules and not a big deal. I think it is beginning to

affect my coworker's health. Isn't this kind of treatment by a boss unethical?

A: The short answer: Yes. It s always unethical to make other people feel

unsafe, disrespected, or marginalised at work and especially those who report

to you.

If we think about a strong ethical culture as a house with wooden beams,

respectful behaviour is the centre, load-bearing beam, said Linda Fisher

Thornton, author of 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical

Leadership and chief executive officer of Leading in Context, a consulting firm

based in Richmond, Virginia, in the US.

Leaders must show the way by modeling respectful conduct (we repeated Behaviour

several times). Why does this matter? Because, aside from a leader s duty not

to harm those in their charge, bullying is toxic for the corporate culture,

Fisher Thornton said.

When people fear being attacked, they understandably tend to pull in to

protect themselves, much like a turtle pulling its head into its shell, she

said. Employees begin to spend their time thinking about what s going on in the

office and how to avoid being the next victim instead of focusing on their

work. All this wasted energy, Fisher Thornton said, is diverted away from the

company s real business.

As for what you should do as a colleague when faced with this dilemma, it s

important not to escalate the situation. Yelling back at your manager when she

attacks your colleague is not likely to work and might even put you in the

crosshairs. But you can try to do the right thing by your officemate in other

ways.

Start by reaching out to see if your harassed colleague could benefit from some

quiet support, Fisher Thornton said. Next, decide how you will report the

problem. If your company has a policy preventing such behaviour and a strong

record of enforcing it then your way is clear, especially if you feel

comfortable going to your manager s boss about the situation. Make sure you ve

documented the problem with notes, copies of emails and any other evidence

before you alert a senior manager or the human resources department.

Be careful, Fisher Thornton warned, if your firm doesn t have a history of

holding strong against bullying. (This could also be a problem if this is the

first workplace bullying problem your company has had to confront.)

If the manager finds out that you reported her, and if she is fairly confident

that nothing will be done to stop her, her behaviour could worsen, she said.

In the event that you decide not to confront your manager or to report her,

make sure that her behaviour doesn t force you into violating your personal

ethical standards as you go about doing your job.

Whatever happens, don t agree to do anything that you feel compromises you or

damages your credibility, Fisher Thornton said: You can look for a new job if

you ever decide to leave, but your reputation can never be traded in for a new

one.