Bullying huh? Staff at Downing Street are feeling bullied and phoning a helpline?
I'm going to try and keep this short..
For what seems like more years than I can count I worked in the Financial Services Sector. Latterly at a Big American Bank.
A big macho testosterone fuelled Global American Bank.
Edinburgh's director, Wee Sam was a short man on an even shorter fuse. Senior management and lesser minions were bawled out on an hourly basis. I don't know if collars were ever seized, but the abuse got seriously personal.
You could spot anyone on the receiving end of a phone call - they're the ones with the receiver six inches from their ear...
You could recognise anyone heading to his office - by the walk.. the slump of the doomed.
And the bullying trickled down.
Senior and middle managers congregated in the smoking areas to plan how to cover their backs and find fall guys for whatever new crisis has erupted. Because there was always a crisis, and there always had to be a fall guy in this environment.
The "best" managers were the ones who could quickly identify and deal with a culprit.
This is how bullying gets institutionalised.
And the bullying was condoned because the US directors were even more aggressive than Edinburgh's.
Ha! There goes our Wee Sam on his way to get a bollocking on his next conference call with the US. Look at his walk - the slump of the doomed.
Through September to November I worked ten weeks with no weekends. I have especially fond memories of the weekend where I worked alongside thirty others through till half one in the morning Friday and Saturday night.
Because we were scared to tell them where to go.
Notoriously I asked for flexitime to allow me visits to the hospice and chemo unit. Although I was warned not to by another manger.... And we know how that panned out
So. If anyone's getting yelled at in Downing Street, it's probably not very nice. But if you are helping run the country, you might want to wise up and contact ACAS rather than a helpline run out of a back office. Yeah, and while you're at it, you might want to try and raise awareness of institutionalised bullying which is rife throughout some of our "professions".
Just a thought.
Macy
xx
23 February 2010 at 11:14
I've seen a culture of terror in private industry and recognize the "walk of the doomed" which was often a Monday morning thing.
I've also worked for fair, clear-sighted employers who know how to direct focus on targets rather than personalities and engender a far more healthy and successful organization.
Sadly, I recognize Brown in the first category of employers and Cameron, for all his faults, as someone who would be good at the second.
This country desperately needs more good leaders in every walk of life.
23 February 2010 at 11:52
Ha! Oh yes life in the private sector... and let's not forget the psychological manipulation...
I did stand up for myself. I'm still talked about in hushed whispers. Nuff said.
Sx
23 February 2010 at 12:12
Rog - It's Cameron's targets that worry me.
Scarlet - "I'm still talked about in hushed whispers. Nuff said."
Presumably by the cowed victims still left there?
23 February 2010 at 12:15
Ha ha!! No I didn't mean that!!!
Sx
23 February 2010 at 16:29
There's a big difference between a nasty piece of work with anger management issues and institutionalised bullying which was rife in education a few years ago and probably still is.
Join a union - if you can.
Safety in numbers.
24 February 2010 at 06:34
Kaz - Agreed. But the nasty pieces of work do thrive in an environment of institutional bullying.
A bit chicken and egg really..
25 February 2010 at 18:35
The nasty pieces of work in a bullying culture are often lauded for being "effective." And people who don't know any better then learn that that's what they have to do to "be effective."
Just say no.
26 February 2010 at 11:24
We're deadset against bullying at work, right up to the moment when someone wants to do something about it and then it's seen as making waves and jeopardising the career of the one making the complaint - because it sticks to you too. And it's just as bad when someone accuses you of bullying when all you've done is tried to manage them after every other manager has moved them on and then you discover just how little support you get as a falsely accused person. I've been both, its incredibly lonely and it sucks. Bit too personal this one, sorry.
27 February 2010 at 12:45
Mme Def - I feel it! I do. Defining bullying is a bit like trying to nail a cloud.
Objects getting thrown though; that's a good baseline.