Big Bully in the Workplace

Workplace bullying is a big problem, and incentives might be part of the solution.

[FHC2008]

I personally worked for a person that was perhaps the biggest workplace bully ever. My life was nearly destroyed by this person. Unfortunately, this person is still allowed to continue to bully and has the biggest employee turnover the organization has ever had. Yes, there is a difference between a boss that has very high expectations and one that is a bully. I know; high expectations are good but when it becomes more of a personal vendetta it can be life threatening. I'm glad I'm out and survived my experience with my "workplace bully"!

[The guy who moved away]

Where did you work?

[IFH 2008]

The guy who moved away wrote:

Where did you work?

I really don't want to say since that person continues to work for the organization. Others are receiving very similar treatment and are now speaking out publically. It was an experience I would rather forget but it truly has affected me in every aspect of my life. I do believe in karma (you know; what goes around comes around)!

[oscodanative]

My guess would be oscoda schools. CB could be the initials of the bully.

[The guy who moved away]

Oscoda Schools? What the heck is wrong with the school? The only thing I remember teachers having a problem with is dating each other and trying to keep the students and fellow teachers from finding out.

[anonymous]

You are right on, guy who moved away. They now are all married to each other!!!!!!!

[The guy who moved away]

lol,what the heck was that one guy's name? His name sounded like a vegetable (brusslesprout maybe?), he was the assistant baseball coach back in the day. Anyway, I remember he was always sneaking around with the band teacher.

[IFH 2008]

The guy who moved away wrote:

lol,what the heck was that one guy's name? His name sounded like a vegetable (brusslesprout maybe?), he was the assistant baseball coach back in the day. Anyway, I remember he was always sneaking around with the band teacher.

I hate that when a name is on the tip of my tongue. I think you're right about his name starting with a B; I'm not sure about the vegetable thing! BTW...I plead the 5th and still won't divulge my bully but oscodanative should work for the FBI.

[The guy who moved away]

He was also the defensive coach for the varsity football team in 1999-2000. We always called him brusslesprout because his name was close enough. Was is Brussle or something? I remember he was really young when he started teaching and he got in trouble because he had a girlfriend who had just graduated the same year he started teaching. I remember he used to drive around a red dodge truck. There was always a standing joke that his mom used to ground him and take away his truck :D.

[OscodaDreamer]

FHC2008, I bet we worked for the same employer.
The employees feel like ducks in a shooting range?

[The guy who moved away]

Glen's?

[IFH2008]

OscodaDreamer wrote:

FHC2008, I bet we worked for the same employer.
The employees feel like ducks in a shooting range?

Yes! I can't believe I found another duck!

[Pugman]

Bullying has no place in the workplace or the school or the street or the road. Although we have been bullied by W for the last 8 years - doesn't make it right. A bully will only bully those she perceives to be weaker. In terms of Oscoda Schools, I have the strong belief that the staff are understanding this and beginning to stand on their own again and be the professional teachers they have wanted to be.

[Another voice]

http://bullyinginstitute.org/basics.html
Bully Types & Tactics)
Note: The following is excerpted from The Bully At Work,©2003 by Gary & Ruth Namie.
Screaming Mimi
Stereotypical bully. Controls through fear&intimidation. Emotionally out of control. Impulsive. Explosive. Threat of physical violence. Wants to instill sense of dread. Overbearing. Self-centered, insensitive to needs of others. Very worried about being detected as imposter.
barks that "I AM YOUR BOSS" "FOLLOW MY COMMANDS"
intimidates through gestures:finger pointing, slams things down, throws objects
crowds the Target's personal space, moves close to threaten or to make the Target anxious, hovers over,
constantly interrupts the Target during meetings &conversations
discounts and denies Target's thoughts or feelings
threats of job loss or change
traps Target by insisting that complaints go "up the chain of command," starting with her
Constant Critic
Extremely negative.Fault finder. Lies.
Masks personal insecurity with public bravado. Loved by senior management because of her ability to "get those people to produce." Aims to destroy confidence, encourages self-doubt.
constant haranguing about Target's "incompetence"
makes aggressive eye contact, glaring at Target; demands eye contact when but deliberately avoids eye contact when Target speaks
negatively reacts to contribution of target [sighs, frowns, peering over top of eyeglasses to condescend, sour face (the "just sucked a lemon" look)]
accuses Target of wrongdoing, blamed for errors made up by bully (doctored documents, compromised databases, fake witness accounts)
makes unreasonable demands for work with impossible deadlines, applies disproportionate pressure, expects perfectionism
sends signals of disrespect through hyper-confident body languagemaking target sit while bully stands, hovering over, staying above
over-use of memos, e-mails, messages to bury Target in correspondence requiring replies
personally criticizes aspects of the Target's life that are irrelevant to work--appearance, family, friends
excessively or harshly criticizes Target's work or abilities
engages Target in intense cross-examination to belittle and confused
Two-Headed Snake
Passive-Aggressive indirect, dishonest style of dealing with people and issues. Jekyll-Hyde. Pretends to be nice while sabotaging you. "Friendliness" serves only to decrease resistance to giving information she may later use against you. Smile hides naked aggression. Assassinates reputation with higher ups. Plays favorites.
ensures that the Target does not have the resources (time, supplies, help) to do work
demands that co-workers provide damning "evidence" against Target, uses lies or half-truths, threatens non-cooperators (the "divide and conquer" technique)
makes nasty, rude, hostile remarks directly to Target while putting on a rational "face" for others
creates a special personnel file kept in bully's car or locked in her office full of defamatory information to sabotage Target's career inside or outside the organization
steals credit for work done by the Target
Gatekeeper
Most transparent of the controllers. Needs to establish herself as "one up" on you, order you around or control your circumstances. To her, control of all resources (time, supplies, praise, approval, money, staffing, help) is the most important aspect of work. Approval must be solicited from her.
Ignores the Target; giving the "silent treatment," and modeling isolating the Target
deliberately cuts the Target out of the communication loop--stops mail, e-mail, memo distribution, doesn't return calls
refuses to follow internal policies and government-mandated employee protections for Target
denies privileges/rights to Targets who file complaints against the bully, either internal complaint or a lawsuit or with EEOC, DOL
makes up new rules on a whim, Target expected to follow, but bully is exempt

[IFH2008]

Pretty much describes my bully (parts of each). The closest is the two-headed snake and gatekeeper. In fact those two hit the nail on the head right down to the special personnel file and the ever so childish "silent treatment". Poor bully; they don't realize that in the end they are the one to lose.

[Bruce Deile]

"Assassinates reputation with higher ups." (from 'Another voice' post above): Yes, there is no defense against malicious gossip and slander. That is the form of blacklisting that has caused my homelessness for past 10 years due to political/religious persecution. I once asked a pastor how I could maintain employment when under attack and he replied "if they don't want you there you're not going to be able to stay there". But tell that to Social Security and they'll send you to a psychiatrist who'll label you with mental illness (denying the reality of persecution). It's not their fault, it's yours. But it's not paranoia when you catch them in the act. However, just try and prove that. last thought here: Harvey Milk spoke of his closest friends telling him he had a persecution complex. That his enemies were not really messing with him, it was all in his head. He was shot to death point blank by political opponent Dan White (remember the "Twinkie Defense"?).

[Bruce Deile]

Take all those examples given of abuse in the workplace (in 'Another voice' post above and then consider it motivated by racism, sexism, racism, etc.

[Bruce Deile]

So many people are suffering workplace abuse under myriad forms of discrimination. Personally, when mentioning in above post that a pastor told me I wouldn't be able to maintain employment if the workers and management did not want me there, consider that in context of enemies inciting workplace trouble leaving no recourse (in the name of liberty; Happy Independence Day; now go to Frederick Douglass speech [better yet I'll post the excerpt here in a moment]). But as for "pastor", with me the American church establishment is behind much of the persecution. Dobson criticizes Obama (not a fan of either) today in media for misusing bible verses, yet Dobson's 'Focus on the Family' years ago said due to lack of contributions they had to let people go in their organization. Christian families let go. As they're higher ups continue(d) to make $130,000/year (non-profit, no taxes). What about bible verses in Book of Acts? We sold our homes and possessions and shared everything in common, etc.? Christian Socialism. Pat Roberts wanted Hugo Chavez' head on a platter for that reason.

[Bruce Deile]

Happy Independence Day (from Frederick Douglass speech 1852):

...."What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour."

From 'The People's History of the United States' by Howard Zinn (a dictated letter re; President Lincoln and the emancipation of slaves):

"My Dear Young Missus: Do, my missus, tell Linkum dat we wants land—dis bery land dat is rich wid de sweat ob de face and de blood ob we back....We could a bin buy all we want, but dey make de lots too big, and cut we out. De word cum from Mass Linkums' self, dat we take out claims and hold on ter um, an' plant um, and he will see dat we get um, every man ten or twenty acre. We too glad. We stake out an' list, but fore de time for plant, dese commissionaries sells to white folks all de best land. Where Linkum?"

[The guy who moved away]

Good god. Don't you have anything better to do then post on here all day?