Bullying at workplace – PR Agencies are no exceptions
By Enakshi Kapur on Dec 17, 2008 in HR, issues, worklife
Do you think bullying only occurs in big corporate houses where you have to work with a large number of employees and get smarted under a bully? Did you think a PR or an Advertising agency is free from such a social menace? Think again, ask around and you would come across anecdotes that is fit to give you sleepless nights. Such agencies fail to go through a proper induction process of forming, storming, norming and performing and end up with a lopsided organizational structure.
How do you erase this indelible scar created by your senior? Do you move to seek help from the human rights commission or speak against it and jeopardize the rest of your career growth with bad recommendations? I have been a victim of such circumstances facing bullying in the workplace for three consecutive years, which led me to do some study in this field. I wanted to know what exactly is bullying. Who is responsible for it and what could be the possible solutions?
Several definitions of workplace bullying have been provided in literature. Despite several definitions of bullying, there is a general consensus regarding what constitutes bullying (e.g. Einarsen et al., 2003). Specifically, for behaviour to qualify as bullying, it must be perceived by the victim as oppressive, unfair, humiliating, undermining, threatening, difficult to defend against or an infringement of the victim’s human rights. Furthermore, according to several authors (e.g. Vartia, 2001; Einarsen et al., 2003), such behaviour is considered to be bullying only if it recurs over an extended period of time. While I was writing this article, I felt that I had gone through each and every aspect of bullying in my workplace. I was treated in an unfair manner, humiliated and undermined by my superior Ms. SASA over an extended period of three years, which physically and mentally made me distraught.
Bullying is a multidimensional construct and comprises a wide spectrum of behaviour that can be targeted at the work or at the personal characteristics of the victim. The more subtle types of bullying behaviour include withholding information and physically or socially isolating the victim, whereas the more overt types include setting impossible deadlines for the victim and publicly belittling the victim. Little did I realize at that point of time that setting of impossible deadlines or procrastinating the work towards the deadline is a form of bullying, victimizing me in my workplace.
Workplace bullying behaviours, as suggested by Hoel and Cooper (2000) comprises of four categories: (1) work-related harassment (e.g. persistently criticizing the victim’s work); (2) personal harassment (e.g. spreading rumours about the victim); (3) organizational harassment (e.g. removing key areas of responsibility from the victim); and (4) intimidation (e.g. threatening the victim with violence). Workplace bullying has several unfavorable psychological effects on victims (Fox and Stallworth, 2005), such as negative affect, depression, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts (Einarsen and Matthiesen, 1999). There is evidence supporting the psychosomatic model of bullying, which posits that bullying leads to negative affect, which then leads to physiological problems. Consistent with the psychosomatic model of bullying, being bullied has been shown to be associated with physiological problems, such as musculoskeletal pains, chronic fatigue syndrome (Einarsen and Mikkelsen, 2003), headaches, stomach disorders,
rashes (e.g. O’Moore et al., 1998; Vartia, 2001) and cardiovascular disease (Kivimaki et al., 2003).
Workplace bullying has widespread negative effects on organizations because it affects not only the victims but also those who witness the bullying (Hoel et al., 1999). Bullying adversely affects organizational performance in terms of output, creativity and innovation (Rayner et al., 2002). Being bullied at work also reduces the organizational satisfaction and commitment of victims (Hoel and Cooper, 2000), If an organization is to send a message to its employees that they are valued and cared for, then it is imperative that leaders themselves are aware of the various subtle behaviour that constitute bullying and that they refrain from enacting such behaviour (Fox and Stallworth, 2005).
How can this bullying stop, is there a solution to it? I think when informed of workplace bullying, leaders need to respond in ways that demonstrate to victims and other staff that the organization supports them and will not tolerate such behaviour (Brodsky, 1976; O’Moore et al., 1998; Hoel and Salin, 2003). Better still, leaders need to proactively address workplace bullying and can do so by developing formal statements and policies that indicate clearly that bullying is unacceptable and that bullying holds serious consequences for the perpetrators. Such primary interventions play a critical role in preventing bullying behaviour in the workplace (Djurkovick N et al, 2008).
Specific ways in which an organization can demonstrate that it is supportive of its employees include providing avenues for victims to lodge their complaints and ensuring that these complaints are acted on in ways that signal to all employees that the organization will protect their basic human rights. Furthermore, it is important that organizations demonstrate that they are concerned about the welfare of their employees by encouraging them, from time to time, to come forth should they have any work-related or personal problems with which the organization can assist them. An example of such an approach is the use of employee assistance programmes. It is in the hands of the leaders to stop this bullying and create a whole new world of harmony.
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On Dec 17, 2008, Sushil said:
Hie Enakshi,
Very wel written article…..highlights bitter truth of PR agencies….I am Victim of such bullying as well….. I enjoy my work….
I would lik to ask u ..wht did u do when u faced such unprofessional behaviour…..& what actually helped you in eventually getting promoted ..
On Dec 17, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
Thanks Sushil,I tried to take it up with my seniors and the HR department, not much help though…I ultimately left the organization because i did not get the respect I deserved. Money is not the only motivator, a good working environment is equally important.
On Dec 19, 2008, shakshi said:
hi anakshi,
any suggestions about bullying by juniors?
I am victim of my junior colleague. She is an older employee in terms of number of years she has served the organization.
By profile and by age she younger than me, but, she doesn’t cares about it. At times, she even shouts, saying that you are no body to ask updates from me.
Complaining our boss about her behaviour seems kiddish to me. Please help.
On Dec 19, 2008, Sushil said:
Thanks 4 d reply…
did u get better environment in d new organisation…did u get to higher position in the new organisation …
& also can you advice me on what really helped in getting promoted in different organisations that u ve worked for……
On Dec 19, 2008, Andy said:
Must read for PR Managers – What Satyam must do repair its image ?
I have come across an insightful and timely story in Mint newspaper on image and brand experts offering views on what Satyanm should do to repair the image.
I dont know how to post this story – have mailed the moderators – hence posting the link as a comment.
Hope users wont mind my indescrition
Reg
Andy
MINT story link
http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/18221653/What-should-Satyam-and-Raju-do.html
On Dec 19, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
Hi Sakshi
getting bullied by a junior is as grave as that by a senior. You need to understand the balance of responsibility and authority. If you have the authority then you should try to speak to your junior collegaue. I suggest you have a closed door chat with her and try to understand what is bothering her ? If that doesn’t work and things do get out of hand then I am afraid you do need to report it to the senior and make them aware of the situation. Before you do so build up your case . Hope that helps. I will be glad to be of any further assistance.
On Dec 19, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
No Sushil, I did not join any organization after that and went abroad to pursue higher studies where I studied management in great detail and which gave me a better insight into situtations.
I guess the only way to get a promotion is by show casing your good work, which I hope your seniors would understand.I was told by my CEO’s wife that “if the organization doesn’t value you then it is no point being in such an organization”. All the best.
On Dec 21, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
Hi CEO, sorry I don’t read this language, could you please translate the same in English.
On Dec 22, 2008, kapadiia himanshu said:
enakshi nice piece, but i have a differnt way to look at it, i call it constructive critisism, i too was critisised, never took it as bullying, was made to carry papers do stuff which a peon would not do, all that made me what i am today, see the glass half full, dont get exploited but see opportuniites, its a democratic world and no one loves loosing a hard or a smart worker. if the water goes over the head, give in your resignation there will be many more who will see the diamond in you:)
On Dec 23, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
Dear Mr. Kapadia
I like the way you have put it, hard work is indeed needed in our formative years of work, it shapes us what we are today. But personal vendetta or mis-management is unprofessional and reflects badly at the culture and structure of the company. I guess it stems from immaturity and lack of education of the person concerned. It takes all sorts of people to make this world
On Dec 30, 2008, Suresh Mangaladurai. said:
Lovely piece. Covers all aspects of the subject. It is indeed a misconception that bullying happens only in the other sectors. My own personal experiences as well as that of those in the industry with whom I have been fortunate to interact, have revealed the games people play in this sector as well. Bullies and back-stabbers abound in PR as in any other sector of corporate India wherein this kind of behaviour is being legitimized as being aggressive and being a go-getter.
Any one who joins a big / medium sized agency will tell you about the hostile atmosphere they are thrust into and the effort they have to put in to break the ice and thaw the cold environment in the new workplace. I have also found that PR professionals are more bothered about doing PR first and foremost for themselves and then indulge in PR for their organizations and finally for their clients.
I have also been a victim during a brief stint at a PR agency in Delhi and my boss a female (I found that it is mostly females who resort to these kind of practices – no offence meant to well meaning ladies in the sector) who had risen up the ranks used to deliberately hassle me though I was not a junior and had more than 12 years of experience in communication as well as working with senior communication professionals. The last straw was when she deliberately ranted that I did not know how to write proper English (Something that I’ve never been accused off in my entire professional career). I put in my papers since I did not want to cheapen myself and stoop down to her level. I don’t consider myself the loser for this and it is the loss of the organization which did not really know how best to utilize my services.
Bullies are basically insecure people with swollen egos who have themselves been bullied in the early stages of their career and suffer from a superiority / inferiority complex. HR personnel in PR agencies would do well to carry out some psychological testing so that such bullies are filtered away. Fortunately, in my case, this bullying led me to decide never again to work under somebody and to return to my hometown where I have recently launched my own small outfit. I must really thank the bully for this.
On Dec 30, 2008, Enakshi Kapur said:
Hi Suresh
Thank you for your insightful feedback. I guess we are talking about the same female boss from Delhi, or do they all sound alike? Any one reading your comment knows your mastery over the english language. I wish you all the best in your own endeavour. I am sure you will do very well in life.
On Jan 2, 2009, shakshi said:
Thanks Enakshi,
I did as you suggested. Talking to her was a big waste of time. I talked about her with our boss, she listened and talked to her afterwards.
But, I admit, my junior is 10 steps ahead. She talks to me in front of our boss, showing her that she has changed, but, behind her, she is the same.
after my discussion with our boss, I have started coordinating with her through e-mails only which she replies according to her own will. I wish I could get chance to work with somebody else instead of her.
On Jan 2, 2009, Suresh Mangaladurai. said:
Thanks Enakshi for your kind words and best wishes. I doubt if we are speaking about the same boss but frankly they are all the same.
I have experienced what Shakshi is talking about and fully empathise with her. It is a shame that educated people can behave this badly and play such cheap mind games. It only goes to show the lack of emphasis on values and ethics in our educational system.
I hope Shakshi doesn’t get discouraged for it would be a great loss to the industry if such committed individuals lose interest in PR. I wish I could find people like Shakshi to work with.
Frankly, if any young, honest and committed professionals from Chennai are interested in striking out on their own and interested in partnering me, I would welcome them to contact me.
On Jan 14, 2009, Ruam said:
VERY VERY RELEVANT. I am a single working girl, so I do face a lot of remarks and harassment from my male colleagues, I really dont understand whether it’s the male chauvinistic attitude or the fact that India has not progressen in this aspect at all, cause it’s not the same scene globally